Lord of Israel – 8

Lord of Israel – 8

Introduction

I Samuel 1:17 “Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.”

            From the above passage we can understand that the God of Israel is someone who hears our prayer. He not only listens to our prayer but also answers it. We see the act of listening and answering the prayers is the attribute of the God of Israel. In this chapter, we can see the Lord hears the prayer of Hannah. When God hears her prayer, his divine characteristics were revealed. Today let us mediate on the prayer of Hannah and how the Lord of Israel answered her request.

He changes the present situation

I Samuel 1:1 ‘And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’

            The prayer of Hannah is very passionate and it has got a few important sub points in it. When we read the above passage we can understand that Hannah presents her present situation before the presence of the Lord. Hannah had a really hard time personally. Her personal life was take for a toss and she was helpless. We read in I Samuel 1:6-7 ‘6And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.’ We see Hannah was provoked by her rival and had to face a very difficult situation in her family. She reaches a point where she had no clue as to what might happen to her future. Despite of all these troubles and confusions, Hannah did not give up. She did not drift away from the God of Israel. She comes to the presence of the Lord and submits everything in prayer. When she vents out completely, the God of Israel listens to her prayer. The Lord changes the current situation of Hannah. Even in our lives, God expects a transparency in our prayers. When we truly submit everything in the presence of the Lord, our lives will be transformed immediately.

He will look upon us

I Samuel 1:11 ‘And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’

            Here we see the Lord of Israel looked upon the affliction of Hannah. In the literal way, affliction is something that causes pain. The pain that Hannah had to go through was continuing year by year. There was absolutely nobody to take care of her or stand by her side. In I Samuel 1:7 ‘And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.’ Even her husband and her family was not able to help her out. When everybody failed, the God of Israel steps in and looks upon her affliction. The Lord took the perpetual pain away from the life of Hannah. Even in our lives, we might go through a lot of pains and afflictions. Today, the God of Israel looks at our afflictions and breaks them away. All we need to do is to believe in the name of the Lord and should keep everything in prayer.

He will remember not forget

I Samuel 1:11 ‘And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’

            As clearly recorded in this verse, the God of Israel is the God who never forgets his children. Hannah’s prayer was never forgotten by the Lord God. He remembers each and every word we use in our prayer. Interestingly, we can see a lot of good things happen when the Lord remembers his children.

In Genesis 8:1 – The Lord remembered Noah and as a result the waters were subsided.

In Genesis 19:29 – The Lord remembered Abraham as a result lot was saved from destruction.

In Genesis 30:22 – The Lord remembered Rachel as a result her womb was opened.

In Exodus 2:25 – The Lord remembered Israel as a result Egypt was delivered.

            Same way let not our problems make us forget the fact that the Lord of Israel is watching over us and will not forget us.

Hannah’s vow

I Samuel 1:11 ‘And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’

            In the above passage, we see Hannah firmly believed in what she wanted in her life. She believed in the name of the Lord and asked for a son. Hannah’s ask was more or less like a prophetic insight. She was very specific and clear in what she wanted from the Lord. The faith of Hannah fulfilled her request. Hannah asked for a son and he becomes a huge blessing for the Israel. The prayer of Hannah was not selfish as her prayer brought a huge blessing to the whole nation. Had not Hannah prayed, the nation of Israel would have lost Samuel. The scripture would not have had Samuel on it. Hannah did not give up. She made a vow and her son creates a history in the bible.

            Same way, when we fail to pray we might miss out many good things. Whatever be the situation or how huge our problem is, we must make it a point to surrender everything in prayer. When we do so, the Lord will do the rest. The God of Israel knows our needs and he will provide us at the right time. Amen.