And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:26,27
The old priest was accustomed to seeing children in the tabernacle, but this child was different. Most of the boys his age would have their hair cropped short, but this lad had long hair, obviously never cut from his birth. Although it occurred seldom, Eli recognized that this boy was under a parental vow to be a Nazarite. And then he recognized the mother! He recalled his mistake of thinking that this woman was drunken, when she had in fact been deeply and passionately involved in her prayer to God. It had been several years since he had seen her. Three years ago, she had been deeply overcome by her troubles, but today, she was radiant with confidence and joy. And her words must surely have brought delight to the heart of the old priest. This, she said, pointing to her boy, was the answer to the prayer that she was so taken up with three years ago. Not only was her prayer answered, but so was his. He had assured her that God would grant her the petition that she had asked. And God had done so! Many times, you and I never know the outcome of our prayers. But when someone comes to us and thanks us rejoicing in the answer to our prayers, there is a special thrill of joy in the goodness of the God to Whom we prayed.
Eli had no doubt prayed for others who brought their petitions before him. But very few ever came to report on how God had answered their prayers. Too many are like the nine lepers who Jesus cleansed but who failed to return to give Him thanks (Luke 17:17). We are like Eli in that we can’t grant anyone answers to their prayers. But we can pray. And when God answers those prayers, we can rejoice. But only if we know about it. Have you ever shared a prayer request with another Christian? And did you follow up with a report on how God answered prayer?
Too many times, there is little commitment behind a request for prayer and an acceptance of that request. It’s nice to tell somebody, ‘I’m praying for you’. But then, do we actually pray? And if so, how much do we put into that prayer, and how often do we repeat that prayer? Maybe the answers to those questions have something to do with whether God answers those prayers.
Eli did not know that Hannah was praying for a son; all he knew is that she had a deep need. That is often the case with us when we are presented with a prayer request. But God knows all about it. A key component in prevailing prayer is committing not only the need but also the eventual outcome to the Lord. His perfect wisdom is more important than our uncertain knowledge.
Don’t neglect to tell your prayer partners when God answers your prayers. It will build your confidence and theirs in calling on God for blessing. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/IMiBWJ4f4r0