God, Remember Me

1 Samuel 1:4-20

An elderly husband and wife visit their doctor when they begin forgetting little things. Their doctor tells them that many people find it useful to write themselves little notes. When they get home, the wife says, "Dear, will you please go to the kitchen and get me a dish of ice cream? And maybe write that down so you won't forget?" "Nonsense," says the husband, "I can remember a dish of ice cream." "Well," says the wife, "I'd also like some strawberries and whipped cream on it." "My memory's not all that bad," says the husband. "No problem - a dish of ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream. I don't need to write it down." He goes into the kitchen; his wife hears pots and pans banging around. The husband finally emerges from the kitchen and presents his wife with a plate of bacon and eggs. She looks at the plate and asks, "Hey, where's the toast I asked for?"

In case you forgot this month series has been about remembering God. Now if we are honest, there are times and seasons as we go through life that we forget who the Lord is.

What he has done. And what he has promised he will do. We get caught up in our situation that we allow depressions and despair to come upon us and discourage us in our walk.

But today that ends. Amen. Today is the day when we remember who it is we serve, what he has called us to do, and that we are not limiting God in what he can do. But that we are going to walk by faith and trust that the Lord has a plan.

That brings us to our scripture for today. Where we are introduced to a young woman who had a situation but what we find is that God remembered her.

And how God moved on her life, and changed her life forever.

(Read Scripture)

Hannah’s story is one that is often shared at Mother’s day. You see in her heart there was a desire for a child, particularly a son.

You see, Hannah had been barren up to this point. She had no children and for a woman to not have children, it was considered by society as someone to look down on. Someone who is cursed.

But what we find in this passage is that God remembered this woman, and moved on her life, and answered her prayer and gave her a son.

Now Hannah’s story serves as a great reminder that God doesn’t forget his children. And today, we need to remember that the Lord is looking down on our lives and situations, and he remembers us as well.

Hannah’s Problem (vs 4-8)

· Reading this story it becomes quite clear that Hannah’s main problem is the fact that she doesn’t have any children.

· But in reality her problem is much deeper than that. It has caused her to be ridiculed by Elkanah’s other wife.

· It has caused her to agonize over her situation and there were many times where her husband finds her crying.

· Hannah’s problem made her feel like she was failing her husband, herself, and most of all God.

· And here is the main thing about her problem, she couldn’t do anything about it. She could be a good Christian woman.

· She could do all the things a wife should do. She could have seen as many people in the world, but none of that would have changed her problem.

· You know we often times encounter situations like Hannah as well. We are trying to live for the Lord. Trying to be faithful. But we are dealing with something that is out of our hands.

· Something that we can’t change.

· And our response is just like Hannah. We feel defeated, we are mocked, our heart hurts, because we don’t measure up to others.

· Even today, we live in a society of comparison. That if we don’t have this or that, that we are looked on differently by others.

· Talked about, and looked down upon. It makes it hard to go out into places because it seems that everyone is looking at you. Judging you. Because you don’t have what they have.

· Now Hannah has a spouse that supported her. Who loved her. Who didn’t judge her because she hadn’t bore any children.

· And that is good. But Hannah needed something else. She needed a touch from the Lord.

· And maybe that is you here today. You need a touch from God. Well Hannah remembered the Lord, and that is what you must do as well.

Hannah’s Prayer (vs 9-18a)

· In these next verses, what do we find Hannah doing? We find her pouring out her heart to the Lord.

· She desires a child, a son to be exact. A child that would serve the Lord and be a godly man.

· So, she goes to the temple and she begins to pray to the Lord about it.

· Do you know that church is more than a place than we sit and listen to a message from a preacher. It is more than a place that we stand and sing songs of praise. It is a place of prayer.

· Hannah went to the temple to pray to the Lord.

· And her prayer it isn’t poetry. It isn’t something eloquent. It doesn’t jump off the pages as a literary masterpiece. No, Hannah just spoke her heart to the Lord.

· And what is in the middle of this prayer, the request that the Lord would remember her.

· Have you ever been talking with someone, and you ask that person to do something, and you might say don’t forget me.

· It’s a bummer and a let down, when that person ends up forgetting you.

· Well, can I say, that God doesn’t do that. He doesn’t forget about us.

· Last Sunday, was Homecoming, and we ended up forgetting Jackson here at the church.

· Listen, God doesn’t forget us, he doesn’t leave us behind.

· And what we need to do is remind God of his promises. Remind him to remember you, and remember that he said he would never leave us nor forsake us.

· What we need to do is to remember to pray to the Lord about what we are dealing with and not let the Devil get us caught up in our circumstances that we forget who it is we serve.

· She asked the Lord to remember her. To look on her life and bring an answer to her problem.

· Oh the power of prayer. The one thing that we often forget to do. If we would just remember to pray how better our life would be.

· To pray to the Lord that he would remember me. Just as the thief of the cross asked the Lord to remember him when he came into his kingdom.

· Friend, will the Lord remember you when you stand before him? Will he know who you are?

· Will he remember you from the life you gave to him, from the prayers you lifted up. Will he remember you or will he say depart from me I never knew you?

Hannah’s Peace (vs 18-20)

· Now Hannah had a problem that she prayed about, but friend I like what we read at the end of this prayer.

· Hannah got up from the prayer, and the Bible says that her countenance was no more sad.

· What did she do? She left her burden with the Lord, and she believed that the Lord remembered her.

· Have you ever been out and about and run into someone from church, and they act like they don’t know you.

· Maybe they ignore you, look the other way, that doesn’t make us feel very welcome does it?

· I don’t have peace with those types of people.

· But I do have peace with God. Because when you are sincere with God. When you believe in him and you ask him to remember you.

· Guess what? He remembers you.

· You can meet a celebrity, and have a conversation with them. But years from that moment, that celebrity is not going to remember you.

· But the God of all creation, will remember you when you come to him. And he will not forget you.

· And when you get up from this church and go back into your everyday life. You can have the same peace that Hannah has here.

· She didn’t leave the Lord’s house sad, she left that sadness behind. Because the Lord remembered Hannah.

· And friend you can have the same thing today. You can have peace when you leave this church today, all you have to do is just ask the Lord to remember you.

· We find that Hannah went home and the Lord opened the womb of Hannah where she was able to conceive a son.

· A miracle baby! A miracle because God didn’t forget that woman. And God won’t forget you, if you would come to him today.

· So many of us here today are faced with something that has gotten us in a bad spot of life.

· We feel judged by our peers, we feel that we are looked down on, and maybe you feel that God has forgotten you.

· Well, come and remind God who you are. Come and pray to the Lord once more about your situation. And ask God to remember His word.

· God wants to see you step up with real concern in your heart, that today he will move on your life.

· Don’t walk out today and not allow God to know your name. Tell God your name and that you want him to remember you today.