SATURDAY October 9, 2021

Men and Women of Prayer

...she [Hannah] was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish.
1 Samuel 1:10

Paul the Apostle placed great emphasis on prayer: ...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.... Paul was certainly a man of prayer. What about us? Are we men and women of prayer?

Hannah was a woman of prayer. Her heart was utterly broken because she was childless; the LORD had closed her womb. Hannah suffered affliction from a rival, Peninnah, who was blessed with children: ...her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable... (1 Samuel 1:2, 6).

In anguish, Hannah poured out her heart before the Lord: ...she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish (1 Samuel 1:10). She made a vow before the LORD that if He blessed her with a male child, she would give him back in service to God (1 Samuel 1:11). Eli the priest stood near Hannah and heard her mumbling. He thought she was drunk and, without any compassion, confronted her (1 Samuel 1:12-14).

Eli completely misjudged Hannah. As a man of God, he lacked discernment. The Lord heard Hannah’s cry and answered her prayer. Hannah conceived and had a child. She called his name Samuel, meaning “asked of God.” The Lord later used Samuel to become a Prophet. He became a well-known leader for the nation of Israel.

Enoch was a man of prayer. Enoch enjoyed an intimate relationship with God. What was his lasting testimony? It is recorded: Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24). Enoch was miraculously taken into God’s presence––raptured. Think about the importance and power of prayer. What changes will you make in your daily schedule to ensure you have quality time alone with God to pray?

There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed.
~C.H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!