Sorry, for the delay in writing...Trey and I have been on vacation for quite some time! BUT, I'm glad to be home and back at it....So here I go!
Today's blog is going to come from I Samuel 1....
As I began to read, the Lord really impressed upon my heart the POWER of PERSISTENT PRAYER! I will use Hannah as the perfect example of what it means to press through in prayer.
Hannah was married to Elkanah who was also married to Peninnah.
At this point in the story, Hannah was without child and Peninnah had many. Peninnah, I believe, made daily attempts to remind Hannah of what she did not have.
WOW, I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been for Hannah. Yet, I see no retaliation on Hannah's part. I must add, in this particular situation, I don't think I could hold back like Hannah did. GO GIRL is all I can say.
Moving forward... Here's where persistent prayer comes into play. Instead of retaliating, Hannah got on her knees and prayed DILIGENTLY. I am reminded of this verse in James 5: 16b "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Because of Hannah's inward position before God, her prayers were both powerful and effective.
But more importantly, I am reminded of this verse... James 4:3 "When you ask (pray), you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
SHOCKING, I know...Do I believe that God does not give us some of the things we want? No, of course he does. The point here is that what we desire may not offer anything to us spiritually. Until our desires for us are God's desires for us, our prayers are not the prayers of a righteous man. I believe that with every blessing God gives us comes growth. God will never give us something that we are not mature enough to handle or that is not in line with his plan for us because we will blow it on our own selfish pleasures.
Going back to Hannah.
She desired a child badly to the point where she was communicating intently with God and was accused of being drunk. How many of us pray to the point that we are praying under the power of the Holy Spirit? Persistent prayer led to breakthrough. Hannah even goes a step further-- this is where many of us stop--offering to use the blessing (a son) for God's glory. This is what separates our prayers from Hannah's. She desired a child so much that giving him back to the Lord was ok. She just wanted the blessing of bearing and caring for a child of her own. Hannah's motives were pure and sincere and it was to benefit the work of God's kingdom.
So I encourage you today to pray without ceasing and pray that what you desire would be beneficial for the kingdom of God. I believe with every blessing, we have the opportunity to glorify and bring honor to the kingdom of God.
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
In Him,
~Jenni~
