Blog Article Tags
We love building relationships. Subscribe to our blog to receive weekly encouragement in your email inbox.
Search Blog Posts
- Details
Written by Tiffany Jacox, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Nebraska
When I was first approached with the opportunity to share about the beautiful story of Hannah, I was a little intimidated. I wasn’t sure it was something I could relate to well enough that I could adequately tell her story. I imagine God gave a big grin and said let me show you.
As I thought about this task before me and thought about Hannah, her faith, and her persistence, I stopped, and I prayed. When I finished praying, I grabbed my Bible and I opened it up. My Bible opened right up to 1 Samuel. It lay there as if it were open and smiling with God saying, share My word. Hannah was an amazing woman in the Bible, a woman of amazing faith and strength. Her story is one of torment, pain, waiting, and promise.
Hannah was married to Elkanah who was also married to Peninnah. Peninnah had children and Hannah had none. Hannah deeply desired children. Elkanah loved Hannah and when he went to make the annual sacrifices he made a double-portion sacrifice for her. Now Peninnah would provoke Hannah and torment her for being childless. This would upset Hannah and she wouldn’t sleep or eat. Her husband, Elkanah, didn’t understand this because he believed that he was good to her and thought that should be enough. Doesn’t this sound like some of us in life sometimes? Men and women? We sure are different, aren’t we?
Hannah finally got some sleep and ate some food and then rose up and went to the temple. She prayed. She prayed HARD! She prayed and she wept bitterly. She made a vow with the Lord and asked if He gave her a son, she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life and a razor will never come to his head.
Now she was in intense prayer here. Have you ever been in intense prayer with the Lord? Maybe during a very difficult time in your life or the life of a friend or loved one? Think about when Jesus was praying in the garden and He had sweat on His head like drops of blood in Luke 22:44.
Hannah was praying hard, and she was crying and talking to God and meanwhile Eli, the priest, was standing at the doorway watching this. She was talking with God and her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. Eli asked her if she was drunk and she responded, “I am not drunk! I am oppressed in spirit and have poured my heart out to the Lord.”
Hannah showed us her full faith in the Lord and laid down her burdens at His feet in prayer. Eli told her to go in peace and may God grant her petition. Hannah was no longer sad. Our burden is light when we rely on the Lord.
The Lord remembered Hannah and she conceived a son. She named him Samuel because she asked him from the Lord. Hannah did not make the journey for the annual sacrifice the following year, waiting until the child was weaned because of the promise she made to the Lord. Once the child was weaned, she took him to the temple and gave thanks to the Lord and they worshipped the Lord. She kept her promise, just as God had kept His.
Hannah endured very difficult times, but she leaned on the Lord and she went to Him in prayer. She relied on God to provide. She was patient. She was remembered and rewarded. I will admit I need to work on my prayer life; it does not look like Hannah’s. How does your life look like Hannah’s? Are you fervent in prayer like Hannah? Has a prayer been answered after a long wait? Or like me, do you realize you need to work on your faithful devotion to prayer?
- Details
Written by Carolyn Jo Gower, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Rom. 12:12 NIV)
My grandson, Noah, age three, was good at talking. But sometimes we’d have to ask, please repeat. Caroline at five months, was a happy chatterbox! We’d ask her, “How's your day going?” Her answer was jabbering with big smiles! Both expressed love!
Jesus can handle our prayers, even though we may feel lacking. Jesus gets it. When we pray (talk to Jesus), our love for Him shines through. He wants us to be real. He made us, He came to live among us, and now He lives to intercede for us.
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:25 ESV)
Jesus is praying for us! Prayer gets to the heart of God not that we’re worthy, we aren’t. Jesus is. He talks with the Father about us. He’s been here and knows what it’s like.
There’s no need for flowery words or memorized church prayers. Never just copy someone else’s prayer. You can use it as a prayer starter, but change it to speak from your own heart. Ever heard the expression, “Honesty is the BEST policy”? Truth be told, honesty is the ONLY policy. Talk to Jesus honestly first. He is our Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God.
Being faithful in prayer means, “Keep on praying and don’t give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).
Prayerfulness, or being faithful in prayer becomes a part of us as we read God’s Word and spend time with Jesus. For example, a few weeks ago, reading about John and his disciples in Matthew 14, I began to see something about prayer from a different angle.
John the baptizer was in prison for preaching repentance as he prepared the way for Jesus. He was doing everything correctly. But things weren’t looking good for John.
John’s disciples were praying for his rescue from Herod. But instead, Herod had him beheaded. His head was delivered on a platter to Herodias. John was murdered in an unspeakable manner. Talk about disappointment and hurt!
John had a huge following. He was a powerful man of God! We can’t begin to imagine the pain, fear, and anger his disciples must have felt!
They could’ve been thinking, “Now what are we to do, our leader is gone! Do we continue as John’s disciples? Is there even a ministry anymore?”
In Matthew 14:12, we read that after burying John’s body (note that John’s head was no longer with his body), his disciples went to Jesus and told him everything that had happened.
The only thing that made sense was to tell Jesus everything. That’s exactly what they did and some of the Gospels record that Jesus took John’s disciples with him, even to His own disciples.
Maybe prayer is not hard for us after all. Being faithful in prayer is going to Jesus first, moment by moment.
The way to move from prayerlessness into prayerfulness is to pray.
We are even commanded to be prayerful, …faithful in prayer (Rom.12:12) and pray continually… (1 Thes. 5:17). When we pray consistently, talking to Jesus becomes as natural as taking another breath.
Scripture tells us often that Jesus spent extended time alone in prayer with His Father.
Because of Christ, the great high priest (Heb. 4:14-16), God invites us to bring our needs to Him. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
God listens and when we call on Him, we’ll never get a response that ‘notifications are silenced’!
Just as we cherished the time talking with our grandchildren, Christ wants fellowship with all of His children.
Dear Iron Rose Sisters, do you feel comfortable going to Jesus, telling Him everything that has happened?