Transparent Prayer
Words of Faith 7-30-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
 
1 Samuel 1
[9] Once, when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's Temple. [10] In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. [11] And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
       [12] As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. [13] Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk [14] and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."
       [15] "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. [16] Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."
       [17] Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
       [18] She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.   
 
Hannah stood up. That may be the most important move. When we are miserable or feel trapped in a situation, we need to stand up and move. Staying where we are does no good. Hannah stood up, but she did not do just anything. She went to the Lord.
She went to the Tent of meeting-- the church if you will-- and prayed. Hannah poured out her bitterness before the Lord. She even made a vow before the Lord that if she were blessed with a son, she would commit him to the service of the Lord. Hannah prayed and prayed before the Lord. The scripture says that she was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving. This was a deep time of prayer.
Eli was the priest during this time. We will see that he represents a sad state of religious affairs. His sons were known for abusing the office of the priesthood and committing wretched immorality. While Eli did not have this same corruption, he refused to rebuke his sons or correct them. Though he judged the civil matters of Israel for forty years, he was blind to his sons' abuses and grew hardened to the move of the Spirit.
Eli was so unfamiliar with the sort of deep prayer that Hannah was engaged in that he thought she was drunk! Hannah did not take offense at this suggestion. She confessed that she was deeply troubled and was pouring her heart out before the Lord.
This was a wake-up call for Eli. He realized that this was genuine spirituality. There was no spiritual façade here. Hannah was absolutely transparent before the Lord and before Eli. She had poured out her anguish and grief. The Spirit moved Eli to answer with the confidence of a genuine priest-- "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
It was at this turning point that a remarkable change took place in Hannah as she heard those words. She went on her way and regained her appetite. Her face was no longer downcast. She was like a new woman.
What happened? In that time of prayer and interaction, Hannah was assured that God was hearing her heart. She received the confidence that God had these matters in hand and would grant her petition.
If we learn anything here, it must be the power of crying out before God when disheartened or in anguish. Such prayer may not be comfortable for others to observe, and they may even misunderstand. There is a vital place for transparent prayer that cries out before God. This is not necessarily an everyday thing, but we need to be able to get to the raw stuff of our lives before the Lord.
Occasionally, I talk with someone who says: "I am hurting so much that I cannot even pray. I can't even talk to God…" or something similar to that. I will often gently point out the futility of such a thought. God knows your heart. He knows your anguish and grief. He knows your hurts, fears, anxieties, and disappointments. The point of prayer is never to inform God of anything. The end of such prayer is our benefit. When Hannah poured out her heart before God, she heard from Him and was no longer downcast.
        It is almost as simple as this: If you want to be bitter, clam up, hold it in, stew in your anger, focus on your self-pity, and give God the silent treatment. But if you want to get better, pour it all out before Him.
 
       O God, you see my heart and life. Forgive me for the times I have avoided You. Forgive me the times I have neglected to realize that You love me and see everything about me. I come bringing the real stuff of my life before You. Hear my prayer. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
 
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.