“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (King James Version, Matthew 6:6)
I am often drawn back to this particular scripture when the weight of the world appears to become heavy. 1st Samuel gives an account of a woman name Hanna who was married to a man named Elkanah. Hanna’s womb was shut and she was grievous. She desperately wanted something from God. We won’t even say for the moment that she needed what she was requesting. However, her request for God to give her a man child became her desperate plea. She made a vow to give the child back to God if he would remember her.
Eli the priest saw Hanna praying and thought that she was drunken with wine. “And Eli said to her, how long will thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” (1 Samuel 1: 14) Hanna’s reply to him was that she was not drunk, but a woman of a sorrowful spirit. She continued her thought to advise Eli that she had poured out her soul to the Lord.
“Then Eli answered and said, Go in Peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” (King James Version, 1 Samuel, 1:17)
We sometimes ask God for things and wait for his answer, but we refuse to wait in silence. It is not always necessary to become vocal when making a request of God. Hanna proved that God is definitely not hard of hearing. There are some things that are so sacred for the building of God’s Kingdom, that releasing it into the atmosphere at the wrong time can cause it to be slowed up, tainted, and even cause complete abortion of the delivery. We know that there is nothing to hard for God. Know this, whatever you have been asking God for, make your request known in silence. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (King James Version, Matthew, 7:7)
Some people say its not always material things we should ask our God, but I say if there is a need ask. Maybe you need a car to get to bible study, then ask. Maybe you need a new outfit to wear to church, then ask. Maybe all you need is a season of peace, or a life changing word from the Lord, then ask. The idea is no matter how great or small the request is, just ask. Silence can be a great thing and the reward even greater.
Your request will be fine between you and God. Hanna’s request was made in silence, but her open reward gave the world Samuel. Many of you have been waiting on unanswered prayers for a while. But, what reward is God waiting to give you? This week make your requests known in silence and watch God reward you openly.
Peace be unto you until we have the opportunity to share again.
No comments:
Post a Comment