Monday March 26th

What have you been praying?

A great friend asked me this question on Friday.  I have to tell you that I was not all too proud of my answer.  In today's reading we see one woman who engaged in prayer more then just once and in more then just one way. 

We find Hannah's first prayer at the temple of God. 

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. " Hebrews 4:16

Hannah took the right first step.  She was drawing near to the throne.  She needed mercy and grace because she was in need.  Her explanation to Eli as to what she was doing is absolutely beautiful,

 "I was pouring out my soul to the LORD" & "I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

This is a woman who has endured much mocking and ridicule.  She feels helpless and desperate.  She feels out of control in her life situation.  Her desire is for a son.  But what I love about this prayer is that it is not selfish.  She wants the joy of a son, of being able to have that which has taunted her for years but she is willing to take only a part of that child, the ability to say she has one.  The actually raising of the child, the physical keeping of him is something she was promising to give to the LORD.  She wanted something for herself but she wanted that something to be useful to the LORD.  What an attitude, what a great way to pray.  Asking the Lord for blessings that will not be used solely on ourselves but for His kingdom growth.  And, to pray that from a place of anguish and despair. 

Is this how you've been praying?

Don't miss the end of Samuel 1:18 though: "Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast."

When you draw near to the throne of grace in your time of need do you pour out your soul to the Lord like a cup of water or are you like a sponge, you squeeze some out only to wipe it back up again when your done and carry it around with you.  Hebrews 4:16 says to approach the throne with confidence and Hannah did that. She had to have confidence if she left no longer in anguish, no longer downcast.  Her situation was no different but something was.  She poured out the anguish of her soul to the LORD and left it with him at the throne to tend to it in his way and in his time.  She didn't know how or when God would answer she just knew he would.  

When you pray are you a glass that pours out or a sponge that holds on? Do you have confidence in your God?  Do you trust Him?
When you pray to you tell how and when to do things?

 

The second prayer has Hannah back at the same place, the temple.  God has given her the son she asked for.  She is keeping her promise of giving the Son God gave her back to him.  Then she offers a different kind of prayer to the LORD.  She pours out a different kind of cup on the throne of grace.  The cup of praise.  This is a prayer that I think we Christian's tend to forget.  This prayer of praise came from a heart full of gratitude to a God whom Hannah knew loved her very much.  This prayer speaks to how big her God is.  How capable her God is.  How merciful and gracious her God is. How strong her God is and that it is through his strength, not mans, that victories are won, that prayers of anguish are answered, and that kingdom building occurs.

How big is the God you pray to?

If you notice, Hannah's first prayer, her prayer of request was short, a mere extended sentence.  But her prayer of praise is at least 7 times longer.  The cup of anguish is not a deep cup compared to the cup of praise.  Why?  Because there is no problem, no issue, no anguish that is greater then the God who sits on the throne of grace.  When you pour out our soul he is faithful to fill it with all the goodness that he possess.  He pours into you his grace and mercy to overflowing.  That overflow should be given as constant prayers of praise that stem from a gratitude through experiencing your very big and loving God.

What are you filled with more often, anguish or praise?  The answer to this question speaks volumes as to how much you trust your God.  If you are pouring out or holding on.  It speaks to how big you see your God.

There was a great line I heard on Christian radio that I have not forgotten:

"Don't tell God how big your problems are tell your problems how big your God is."

Do you know how to do this?  By remembering, focusing, praying the praises of how big, how great, how loving, how gracious and merciful your God is.

So let's ask you again:

"What have you been praying?"