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Power of a Praying Mother
May 13, 2024
Hey Clawson Family!
Song:
Scripture:
1 Samuel 1:10-20 New Living Translation
10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.[b]”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 19 “When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[f] for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
Devotional:
Hannah is married to a man named Elkanah. Elkanah has two wives…. already a dysfunctional family. Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah has had 2 children. Hannah has not been able to have children, and she wants nothing more than to be a mother. So, what does Hannah do? She Prays, and when she is praying she is not barely praying! She is praying, weeping and pouring out her heart to God in the temple.
Year after year praying she continues to go to the temple praying. Eli the priest sees her and addresses her. He thought she was drunk. She is not drunk, she is just hurting and pouring out her heart to God. And without even knowing what she was praying about…. he says to her “May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked for”.
2 things are fascinating here:
1. He didn’t even ask what she was praying about he just says “May God grant your request.
2. She had enough faith in Eli that she got up after years of praying!
She ate and was no longer sad. She obviously believed what Eli told her was going to happen. Then we see she is granted her request and given a son.
We serve a God that still answers prayers! There is power in the prayer! I want to give you a word of encouragement for your prayer life today, and if you don’t really have much of a prayer life then let's start working on it.
Journal:
In your journal today write down things that you need to persistently go to Lord about. We need to have the determination of Hannah to cry out to God for the things we want to see in our lives.
Training:
Father,
How kind You are to listen to our prayers and move on our behalf! Open our eyes to see Your hand at work all around us, and soften our hearts to be quick to give You praise. We want to be people who pray in Your power — pour out in us and through us.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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