Faith in Prayer

We're in our series on lessons in faith and today we'll be in the lesson faith and prayer. In 1st Samuel chapter 1 we read, So Hannah rose up after they had eaten and shallow and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by post to the temple of the Lord.

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there should be no razor come upon his head. We'll notice several aspects of Hannah's prayer.

She asked God for something specific, that he would give her something, a baby boy. She knew if she became pregnant with a son it would be a miracle from God because the Lord had shut up her womb so she couldn't have children, so her prayer is specific. Also her prayer is desperate.

She pours her soul out to God in prayer, and her prayer is bathed in tears of desperation, and bathed in faith. She is in bitterness of soul, and she is at the end of her rope. Her only hope is in God, and it is here where her faith in prayer is evidenced by her turning to God and believing prayer.

She prays the prayer of faith. Having proper faith in God will energize one's prayers with power that will accomplish the petition sought, the very thing sought will be realized. Not a casual prayer.

Casual prayers go no higher than the ceiling. The kind of prayer that rents the heavens and enters God's throne room is desperate prayer, but not only desperation. It must be accompanied with faith and perspiration.

Heaven is taken by violence, and it is the trembling heart, wrenching cries of pathos that make the Almighty sit up and take notice of a Hannah's prayer for a son. Did she obtain the thing sought by prayer and faith? Yes. Samuel became one of God's great prophets, and he was a man of faith.