October 18th, 2020
Devotional
“God Answers Hannah”
1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10
Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com
Monday: “Presented Herself” - 1 Samuel 1:9-10
We often do not talk about prayer as presenting one’s self before the Lord. It sounds too formal. Like we need to be prepared to pray. But for Hannah, presenting one’s self to the Lord was simply coming before God. Walking past the priest. Coming to the place of worship without a petition for someone else to bring before God or a sacrifice to put on the alter. She simply brought herself.
The Message translation of scripture simply says that Hannah entered the sanctuary. She knew that she needed to get away from that dinner and went to where she could pray.
For some people, churches are a place that they associate with prayer. For others its in the quiet of the woods. Or running down the street. Or digging in the flowerbed. Where are your places of pray and how do they help you to present yourself before God?
Do you think there is a right or a wrong place to pray? Why or why not?
Prayer: God, we thank you that we can come before you in prayer wherever we may find ourselves. We know that for each of us, there are some places where it is easier to pray than others. May that be our holy place, set apart, to present ourselves to you, O Lord. Amen.
Tuesday: “Vow” - 1 Samuel 1: 11
Some people claim that the vow that Hannah makes before God is some sort of bargain - if you give me X than I will do Y, Lord. But if that’s true, she offered a pretty big ‘Y’ in response to an answer to prayer.
It is true that sometimes people do try to make bargains with God in prayer. Things like, Lord if you do this thing for me, then I promise to be in church every Sunday. Or Lord if you get me out of this situation, I promise to follow you. Those however, are conditions of our behavior and response to God based on what we demand that God will do for us.
In contrast, Hannah makes a promise. If God will answer the cry of her heart and give her a son, she will return that son for service to the Lord. In other words, she will give up that which she prayed for the most. This is quite the promise to make.
What do you think the difference between a vow to God and bargaining with God is?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we turn our prayer life into a set of demands - telling you, O Lord, that you must do something for us before we are willing to respond. Forgive us, O Lord, for putting you to the test. Let us come to prayer with you because you are God, not because of what we want to get out of it. Amen.
Wednesday: “Conceived” - 1 Samuel 1: 19-20
Even with Hannah’s tearful prayer, the answer still came in God’s perfect timing. She and her husband knew one another, the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel.
Sometimes we want God to answer our prayers in our timing. We wonder why God won’t move faster. Or we become discouraged for praying for the same thing over and over again, so we simply give up praying, assuming that God isn’t listening to us.
Hannah’s story is one of the persistence in praying. I have to wonder how many times she prayed for a son before she entered that sanctuary. I have to wonder how many times she continued to pray after she left.
When I pray, I often end with saying “your will be done.” Powerful words that we find in the Lord’s Prayer. But more than a statement, it is truly the cry of my heart. I pray and hand things over to God - whose ways and timing are better than mine.
How do you respond when God does not answer your prayer right away?
Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for you ways and your timing. We thank you for allowing us to come before you in prayer again and again and again, as an act of trust and dependance in you alone. Lord, give us patient hearts that lean into your grace as we wait. Amen.
Thursday: “Hannah Prayed” - 1 Samuel 2: 1-4
What is ironic about the heading found in some Bibles for 1 Samuel 2, “Hannah Prayed” is that Hannah also prayed in 1 Samuel, chapter 1. The prayers just looked different.
In chapter 1, Hannah poured her heart out before the Lord in a prayer of lament. She told the Lord how she was feeling, shedding tears out of her feeling of brokenness. But her prayer of lament is also one of hope - she trusts that the Lord cares for her and that the Lord will act on her behalf.
In chapter 2, Hannah’s prayer turns to one of praise. She sings to the Lord a new song, that exalts in how the Lord has given her victory.
In many ways 1 Samuel 1 and 2 read like the Psalms - where the Psalmists both cry out to God in despair and praise God - sometimes even in the same prayer.
God wants to hear what is on our heart. We do not need to keep anything from the Lord. Instead, we can cry laments or songs or praise or anything in between, because our God loves us and cares for us.
Do you more often find yourself praying prayers of lament or praise?
Prayer: God of Grace, throughout your Holy Word you have given us many examples of how people can approach you in prayer. Even in this week’s scripture we have seen a variety of ways to pray. You remind us that you simply want to spend time with us and hear from us as well as speak to our hearts. Thank you, O Lord, for being present both on the mountaintops and in the valleys of our lives. Amen.
Friday: “Raises Up” - 1 Samuel 2: 5-10
It is hard to read Hannah’s prayer and not hear the echoes of what will come in the Gospel of Luke with Mary’s Magnificant. Both speak of the poor and lowly being lifted up and God doing great things.
And both put into proper perspective that all honor and glory and power belong to the Lord.
Two women, centuries apart. One whom begged God for a child. One who never expected to be pregnant. Both used in mighty ways in the story of Salvation.
What similarities and differences do you see between Hannah and Mary?
Prayer: God, we thank you for people in your Word, like Mary and Hannah, who you have used in mighty ways. We entrust our lives into your hands and ask that you use us as well, to make your name and your Kingdom known. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic to prepare for worship: “God’s Promise to David” - 2 Samuel 7:1-17
No comments:
Post a Comment