Sound Doctrine

Jeff Johnson: After prayer, are you grieved? Are you going off into victory? There you can find out what kind of prayer you were having. After prayer, what do you do? You go, "Oh God, I give it to you. Oh my, I don't know what I'm going to do." Is that your prayer life?

Or do you go, "Oh Lord, it’s so good to bring this to you. Lord, I give it to you. Thanks, Lord," and you go away saying, "Yes, yes, yes." Then there’s victorious prayer, effectual prayer.

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff Johnson. If you were with us last time, you know that we just began a brand-new series in 1st and 2nd Samuel. If you've never studied these great books, then I urge you to stay with us in the coming months because they are filled with great accounts of people like David and Hannah, not to mention the great accounts of the Ark of the Covenant and David's battle with Goliath.

We're in chapter one of 1st Samuel again today as we hear the account of a faithful woman named Hannah. Here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: Mothers have a great effect on children. It is a very high and holy calling to raise up a child, very noble. We see God's purpose in delay here because God was delaying in her having a child, and she was going through the pain and the misery. It had been years that she’d been crying out to the Lord.

She’s desperate now. She can’t eat. She’s in a desperate situation. Through all of this, she says, "I will dedicate my child to You, Lord, totally." She probably heard of Samson's mother, who also prayed and dedicated her son to God, who at the time she was praying and dedicating her son already had backslidden and went his own way.

Like Samson, who was one of the first hippies, Samuel took that Nazirite vow never to put a razor to his hair. There was more to it than just that. The Nazirite vow meant not only were you to let your hair and your beard grow, you were to never touch any kind of wine or liquor, and you were never to get near anything that was dead.

There was a vow of separation, a vow of holiness. Her commitment here is to see him raised in the ways of the Lord, that he would serve the Lord all the days of his life. That’s the commitment she’s making to God.

As today, God needed a man to bring renewal and revival to the situation that was going on in the world back then. Today is no different. God searches over the world to find a man that He can use. In Ezekiel 22:30, there is an interesting story.

God says, "I sought for a man among them that I should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me in the land that I should not destroy it or judge it." The sad thing is that God says, "I found none." I looked for that man, but I didn’t find him. God searched so judgment wouldn’t come. How often does this take place?

God used Hannah, a godly woman who through her trials really was constantly growing closer to Him. If it wasn't for trials, we’d never know what He could do. The things that we go through, the things we've trusted Him with, the things He's brought us through just let us know how awesome our God is.

Our circumstances always bring us close to the Lord. Man's extremities are God's opportunities. When we are the weakest, then He is the strongest. Hannah was driven by God to bring forth this man who would be used to bring revival in the land.

In verse 12, "It came to pass as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli marked her mouth." Eli was watching, sitting there by the tabernacle, and she’s praying. She’s a woman of prayer. I appreciate those women in our fellowship that are women of prayer, that continue to pray without ceasing, and that know the importance of importunate prayer. They are always seeking the Lord for our fellowship.

Verse 13 says, "Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard." Eli thought that she had been drunken. As Eli was watching her, Hannah groaned within herself. Because she didn’t say anything and just moved her lips, he figured she was drunk.

What does this reveal to us but how far Israel had really gotten away from God? As she is here pouring out her soul to God and really crying out, he thinks that this woman’s drunk while he is in a very holy place. I don’t think Eli was a very together high priest. We're going to find that out as we go along.

Eli had really lost discernment spiritually. He didn’t know what was going on. This infers that many were getting drunk at the time of the feast and that they would see people drunk staggering all over the tabernacle. People were carrying on with their prayers while high on booze.

It is a sad commentary of the times. It's all right to have a boat in water, but when water gets into the boat, we have a problem. The church is in this world, but when this world starts to get into us, where is the church? Where are you at concerning this world? Have you come out from amongst them and are you separate unto the Lord?

Have you dedicated your life to God, or are you still playing around with this world and the things of this world? It's amazing how many in the church are social drinkers and they just rationalize it all off. Yet their lives are shallow spiritually because they’re messing around.

In verse 14, "Eli said unto her, 'How long wilt thou be a drunk? Put away your wine from you.'" He is telling her it's time to sober up. Hannah's response is interesting. She answers him without cursing him or telling him to get off her back.

She says, "No, my lord. I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord." She tells Eli that he is wrong and that she has been pouring out her soul to the Lord. In Romans 8:26, it says through groanings and moans within us, we cry out unto God.

It's a heartfelt prayer. She said that is all she was doing. She was groaning unto the Lord. She wasn't doing it the Middle East way where they even today go around and make their prayers audible everywhere. She was just moaning inside of her. It was her effectual fervent prayer.

There is the effectual fervent prayer. It's not just "God is good, God is great, let us thank Him for this food." It's not just the shallow prayers that we many times get into while God is just waiting. Where is the heartfelt prayer? The fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Someone has said that the psalms were written in caves. When David cries out these beautiful psalms, he’s going through trials, despair, loneliness, and heartbrokenness driven by desperation. As I thought of this, I thought of the time when my wife was going through it.

She was born with a bad ear canal system where it would close off and there would be excruciating pain. She had them as a young girl, and it got to the point when we were married that she was having them on a regular basis. It was a real problem. She was going to have to go in and have them operated on.

One night, she was in excruciating pain. It had been going on for weeks, and she wasn't able to do anything. She was out of it with both ears just in screaming pain. In the middle of the night, she woke up screaming. I said, "Oh God." I had it up to here with the whole thing. My heart was torn and I told her, "Let's pray for you right now."

I laid my hands on her and I cried out from deep within. I said, "God, touch her in Jesus' name, heal her." Then I backed off. I asked how she was doing, and she was in worse pain. I cried out again to the Lord. This time, as I said "in Jesus' name," I backed off and she just started to cry.

I asked if it was worse. She said, "No, He did it. He did it. They're open. I'm healed." From that point on, she never had a problem. That’s great. There are so many different testimonies that we all have. When our children are sick with 104 or 105 temperatures, you’re pacing them up and down. You realize you just have to dedicate your children to the Lord and say, "Lord, they’re yours," and let God do His work.

Hannah had this type of prayer as she was just seeking the Lord. The Lord says, "In the day that you seek Me with all of your heart, I’ll be found of you." That’s effective prayer, with all of our hearts and our souls unto the Lord.

Verse 16 says, "Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial." Belial was someone without value, a daughter of Satan. "For out of the abundance of my complaint and my grief have I spoken hitherto." In other words, she is not a drunk. She is not worthless. It's amazing that this was not the first time that when someone was making a fervent cry unto the Lord, somebody thought they were drunk.

In Acts chapter 2, as they were all being filled with the Spirit, many thought they were drunk. She says, "I'm not drunk. I'm broken. I'm in despair, but I'm not drunk." In verse 17, "Eli answered and said, 'Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.'"

She said, "Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight." The woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no more sad. Prayer not only asks of God but also receives from God. Prayer not only brings the request unto the Lord, but prayer is that which receives the answer.

The moment she believed, she cried out. 1st Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, His ears are open unto their prayers." God's ears are open to our prayers. God heard her, and she realized that.

Philippians 4 says, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Then the peace of God which passes all understanding will rule in your hearts and in your minds through Christ Jesus." As we pray, we believe that God’s going to take it and do it. All of a sudden, your countenance is picked up.

The sign of faith here is that she began to eat and she had joy. Remember when David's son was dying? He didn’t have any joy. But then finally when his son died, he said, "Give me something to eat. I want to go on with my life." Everybody was amazed. David believed that maybe his son couldn't come to him, but one of these days he was going to be with his son. He had that deep joy of the Lord.

God's word is true. She heard it, she believed it, and she received from it. It changes your whole view as you grab hold of the word of the Lord. Do you remember when Mary was pregnant with Jesus? Mary said, "According to thy word, let it be unto me." She just received that promise of the Lord and she rejoiced.

After prayer, are you grieved or are you going off into victory? That is where you can find out what kind of prayer you were having. There’s victorious prayer. Prayer has results. Isaiah chapter 61 says that He has come to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

As we go into the presence of the Lord, we are to put these on. In verse 19, "They rose up in the morning early and they worshipped before the Lord and they returned and came to their house in Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her." Remember she asked the Lord to remember her? The Lord did remember her.

Prayer many times begins with worship, and then it goes into petition. It many times will go back to worship. "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." That is worship. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread." There's the petition.

It goes on to the very end of that prayer and says, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever," and then it goes back to worship. When we come into the presence of the Lord, we worship Him. In Acts chapter 4, they made their requests and said, "Lord, You are the creator, the heavens, the earth, and all the sea and all that dwells therein."

Now we bring our simple requests. Grant unto us power to have boldness to go out and to share Your word with many, and through the holy name of Jesus, many should be healed. Then they went forth, were all filled with the Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.

They began with worship, then they had their request. After they worshipped and realized who God was, they had confidence that He heard and He was going to answer. How we come to worship is important, but how we leave is also important.

Our bulletin says that we believe that worship of God is fruitful. If worship of God is fruitful, therefore we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have truly been worshipping Him. We go outside of these doors and we see the fruit. If we've really connected, then it's going to be there in my life.

We got a religion and not a relationship. As the world cried out for a change and wanted a king, Hannah cries out for a son. God begins to build His throne on a woman's cry. When a woman takes her exalted place, God builds her a throne. She’s qualified to bring forth this man child.

In verse 20, "Wherefore it came to pass when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived that she bore a son and called his name Samuel saying, 'Because I have asked him of the Lord.'" Samuel means "heard of God" in Hebrew. God has heard my prayer.

It's amazing how many people today want to sin. They want to get into the flesh, but they don’t want to pay the consequences. We have abortion. They kill that which is produced because of their sin. They not only have sexual promiscuity and fornication, but then they commit murder on top of it and it continues on through our nation.

God is not mocked, and God is going to judge this nation. Judgment is already upon this nation. Look at our capital. Look at what God is allowing to happen to wake us up to the seriousness of the days that we’re living in. These are warfare times in the spiritual realm. We need to become spiritual men and women of God and become strong in our faith or we're going to be swept away.

In verse 21, Elkanah and all of his house went up to offer unto the Lord the sacrifice. Hannah didn't go up. She told her husband she would not go up until the child was weaned. Those who obey the Lord and are constantly seeking the word of the Lord are blessed. Hannah had this child and she said, "I will not go up until he is weaned."

Weaned here means fully dealt with. Many believe Samuel was three years old. You can do a lot with a three-year-old. You can get him in a pattern of prayer. This child was fully dealt with at three and she rejoiced. She praised the Lord for what had happened.

Listen, take heart for those of you that are struggling with despair. Psalm 126 says, "Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Be encouraged. God hears your prayers. His timing is perfect. Rest in the Lord and rest in His timing. In verse 23, Elkanah says, "Do what seems good to you, tarry until you have weaned him, only the Lord establish His word." So the woman abode and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

The temple had evidently no nursery facilities. It’s pretty wise that she would keep him out of the temple for this time. In the sanctuary is like Nehemiah chapter 8, where it says you are to bring all of those that hear and have understanding to hear the word of the Lord so their lives can be changed.

Those that cannot comprehend what is being shared are to be taught on their level in their classroom. Nursery is good. Sunday School is good. Sometimes we force our kids into a situation where they’re not getting fed, and we need to be attentive on that.

She didn’t bring him until he was weaned. In verse 24, "When she had weaned him, she took him up with her and three bullocks." This is why many feel that he was three years old. Samuel was brought into the house of the Lord in Shiloh while he was young.

They brought the child to Eli. She reminded Eli that she was the woman that stood by him praying unto the Lord. She was there with the fruit of her prayer. Verse 27 says, "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of him."

Guest (Male): That wraps up our first message in our brand-new series from Pastor Jeff in 1st and 2nd Samuel here on Sound Doctrine. I'd like to remind you that you can hear it again on several different venues. First, you can go online to sounddoctrineradio.org where you can hear today's study as well as make a donation to this radio outreach. That's at sounddoctrineradio.org.

You can also listen at oneplace.com and through the Sound Doctrine radio app. I should also mention Sound Doctrine can be heard wherever you enjoy podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. We'll move along to chapter two in 1st Samuel next time. Read ahead if you can and join us. This program is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Downey.