An Answer to Prayer

Title: An Answer to Prayer

Sermon Passage: 1 Samuel 1

By: Samuel Sorenson

Date: 5/12/2024

Introduction:

It is a joy and a privilege to see all of you today. Happy Mother’s Day. In seeking the Lord’s face on what the Lord would want me to preach on today, the book of the Bible that came to mind the most was 1 Samuel. Because a good mother is so vital to building the kingdom of God.

Let me preface by asking this question? As followers of Christ what do we value most? What is our hill that we will die on? Are we thinking about legacy? Are we thinking about how to take on God size problems? Are we willing to put our faith to the test? When we encounter challenges in our life that man cannot fix, are we willing to ask the question, “Lord this is bigger than me please help me with this?”

In studying the book of 1 Samuel I can remember when I was a little boy going to church and hearing my Uncle Gary speak for the first time on David and this terrible giant named Goliath. The first time I heard those famous words, “A man after God’s own heart.” The first time I heard the phrase, “Of Biblical proportions.” The first time I heard about the underdog winning. The first time I heard of God working through a man who had great faith in his God. This book is a book I have wanted to break new ground with for a long time and we are only in the first chapter. This is a book where we see over and over again a God sized problem, a woman, a man, seeking the Lord’s face, and then seeing how God works to bring about His plans and His purposes through the faith of someone who said Lord I cannot do this on my own, please help me. Just like the famous Psalm says in Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” We see in the book of Samuel God being faithful to those who seek Him out.

As someone who has said yes to the Lord in following Him into ministry, I can testify that I have encountered more God sized problems in my life than I have ever previously thought possible. I have failed more times than I have ever failed before, and this has happened because more times than not, I have sought out man’s wisdom over God’s wisdom. I have disappointed myself and others, I have had to learn to forgive and move forward with God’s agenda over my own agenda. When Jesus said in Mark 9:35, “And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Let me give you this staunch warning, friends if you are seeking to lead ministry without God, then you are headed for disaster. A wise friend and mentor, Dr. Yamamoto, has said to me many times, Sam in order to do ministry well you must do ministry with God. God wants to do life with us, He wants to be in all aspects of our lives. He wants us to have healthy relationships, and so many times we are not willing to swallow our selfish pride, come to the end of ourselves and ask the Lord for help. When Jesus said in order to be first, we must be last, He meant it. And I would argue that it would seem easier to do what we want and get our interests met first, however when we desire to do something great for God that is when we encounter what A W Tozer says in his famous book Knowledge of the Holy, “the problem of God.”

In the first chapter of Samuel we see this encounter with Hannah seeking the Lord’s face to answer her prayer for a son. She encounters a God sized problem that challenges her to look to God above man. She has done everything she can do within her own limitations and now she is seeking the Lord to do His part.

Purpose Statement: My assignment in speaking to you today is for you to seek a deep faith in God that will bring about glory to God and a deep satisfaction in serving Him and ministering to others.

Text: 1 Samuel 1, “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of [a]Elihu, the son of [b]Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 4 And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the [c]tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and [d]wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” 15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked[e] woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” 17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” 18 And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name [f]Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.”

23 So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with [i]three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull,and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be [j]lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.

PNP: Today I want to look at two attributes of God’s faithfulness.

Point 1: The first attribute we will see is that there is a heaviness to having faith in God.

Point 2: The second attribute is trusting in God’s plan no matter what the outcome looks like.

Context: To give a little context to the book of 1 Samuel, the people are looking for a leader. We see the people want to move away from God being their king and leading them through His will, to them wanting a king to represent them like the other pagan nations. We see them seeking out man’s wisdom over God’s wisdom. Well like the people asked, God delivers.

We see two major events occur: first we see the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. And second, we see the preparation of David to sit on the Royal Throne after Saul. Now Saul stayed on his throne until his death by suicide at Mount Gilboa. In these two central events the prophet Samuel was very important because he had anointed first Saul, then David, as king over the covenant people. The book of 1 Samuel establishes the principle that the king in Israel is to be subject to the word of God as conveyed through his prophets. In other words, obedience to God’s word is the necessary condition for a king to be acceptable to the God of Israel.

Let me just say this when it comes to leadership, loyalty is so important, especially when that leader represents God. Fathers the way you lead your families is a direct representation to the outside world of how we should represent God.

This is what we see Jesus do in His life of obedience to God the Father, even up to the death on the cross. First and second Samuel deal with a transitional period in the history of ancient Israel, the transition from the priest Eli to the judge and prophet Samuel, then from the judge Samuel to king Saul, and then from Saul to David, who founded the dynasty that would last as long as the kingship of Judah. The prophet Samuel thus functions as the link between the judgeship and kingship. The kingdom of Saul was transitional in a further sense: it was more than loose confederation that gathered together when there was a common threat, but it was not a period of strong central rule such as existed later in the nation of Israel.

Now where does Hannah come into play in all this? Well Hannah’s display of faith in seeking out God with all her heart and putting her trust in Him serves as the conduit by which the Lord displays His goodness and sovereignty. Now when I say the word sovereignty what I mean by that is God’s rule, His hand in all things. How He brings about His plans and purposes. Throughout the entire bible we see how God uses people who have faith in Him. This is so key to understanding how God works because scripture states in Hebrews 11:6, “6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Body

With that being said let’s look at the first attribute of God’s faithfulness.

Point 1: The first attribute we will see is that there is a heaviness to having faith in God.

Now God is glorified in two ways through His love and through His justice. How much does glory weigh? What an odd question! That is, until we learn that the Old Testament word for “glory” is kabod, which has a primitive root meaning “heavy.” Used in a negative sense, something weighty is something burdensome. However, when used in a positive sense, such heaviness means wealth and honor.

In CS Lewis’s famous sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” he states, The "weight" or burden of glory, consists in the realization that the redeemed shall be approved by God and delighted in as an artist delights in His work or as Father delights in His son.

Have any of you ever encountered a God sized burden? A burden that only He can lift? Have you ever asked yourself why is this happening to me? Why is this a burden that I must carry? Whether that burden be of finding a spouse? Or the burden of some disability, or some unintended life consequence that caused your life to be changed?

What we see in 1 Samuel is Hannah carrying the burden of being baron. In those days a woman’s value lied in her ability to produce children and her inability to conceive was of no fault of her own. And what does Hannah choose to do with the grief of that burden that has been placed on her? Look again with me at the text, 1 Samuel 1: 10-11, “10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and [a]wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

Who else do we see in scripture with a heavy heart that asks someone to remember them? We see this in the book of Genesis when Joseph is in prison and he interprets a dream for the chief butler of Pharoah and tells the chief butler that he will be restored in three days. Joseph asks the chief butler in Genesis 40:14, “14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.” Now it takes some time for the chief butler to remember Joseph but when Pharoah has a dream that nobody else can interpret, he remembers Joseph and Joseph is promoted to the second most powerful man in Egypt.

We also see this with the thief on the cross when he says to Jesus in Luke 23:42, “42 Then he said [a]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” The typology or parallel ways of God being glorified in scripture through are so evident that we as followers of Christ know that we can trust in God’s perfect will and plan for our lives if we will diligently seek Him.

Hannah vows to dedicate her son as a servant to God and to His people. The vow that is mentioned is the vow of a Nazirite.

Hannah’s grief was so heavy that when Eli saw her, he thought she was drunk. But how does Hannah respond to Eli, look at verse 15-16, “ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

Eli is able to recognize the sincerity in Hannah and blesses her. He sends her on her way and tells in verse 17-18, “Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”18 And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

That heaviness that Hannah was carrying was no longer there. The prayer and petition to the Lord strengthened and encouraged her that the Lord would take care of her.

Not a lot of people know this about me but I had an eye injury when I was 3 years old and I was really interested in knives, I had found a knife and wanted to show this little knife to another little boy. Well out of the blue this little boy grabs the hand that my knife was in and I pulled back, he let go and the knife went into my left eye, blinding me in that eye. It was a very traumatic experience for me and my family, I remember being prayed over, and praying myself that the Lord would heal my eye. I prayed this way for years until one day the Lord gave me a peace about it and gave me this verse, “2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I realized that God would fully restore my eye one day even if it was not on this earth. The faith that grew out of it gave glory to God and caused me to have a deeper faith in God. Which brings me to my second point.

Point 2: The second attribute is trusting in God’s plan no matter what the outcome looks like.

Hannah trusted in God’s plan and the scripture says in verse 20, “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”

Samuel’s name was fitting to Hannah’s prayer. Hannah fulfilled her vow to the Lord and states in verse 26-28, “And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there.”

One commentator stated the phrase, “As you live” was meant to fulfill an oath that was made. And the Lord ends up giving Hannah more than she had asked for, if we look further on in chapter 2 verses 18-21, “Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.”

Hannah’s faithfulness in the Lord is an example to all believers in Christ that God delivers on His promises.

Sometimes the answer is no, like with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when He asks the cup to be passed from Him in Matthew 26:39, “ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Conclusion:

Let me ask all of you this question, “How do we respond when we are suffering? Pause for a moment.

Why are some who trust in Jesus so miserable and why are some not? Friends, one of the marks of a believer is the fruit of longsuffering or in some translations this fruit is called patience. It is the fruit that produces Godly character. Just like Apostle Paul who Jesus said would suffer much for the sake of the gospel. Paul’s character from what he was as a persecutor of the saints to a proclaimer and fruit bearer for the Kingdom of Heaven is an example that learning how to suffer well is part of Experiencing God and being a partaker in His sufferings.

Let me encourage you today to trust not in your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

I would argue that all of us in here today have God sized problems that only He can answer. One prayer that has helped me has been to pray this way, “Lord this is bigger than me, I give it over to You, I give it into Your perfect capable hands and ask that You handle it. In Jesus’s precious name Amen.

Gospel Presentation:

Today if you are in here and you do not know where you are going to go when you die, let me give you hope that God’s word is powerful and true and never returns void. For He says in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you are in here today and you have some God sized problems that you need prayer for, please come and see me or one of the elders and it would be an honor to pray for you.

If you need prayer today please see me or one of the elders after the service and we would be honored to pray for you. God bless all of you. Let’s close in a word of prayer.