Persistent Prayer Produces Promises

With a man. So when Pastor Jim Mack's me to minister, I told him I wanted to stay in the same thing that he is in in regards to prayer. So today we're going to look at 1st Samuel chapter number one and my topic for you to take away today is persistent prayer, produces promises persistent prayer, produces promises. And so today we're going to look and observe the story of Hannah how she had to persist and to pursue to receive the promises that God had for her to pursue suggest that you continue in an effort, or you continue with the process and you just continue to push forward. So I have a slogan for you to take home with you today. You don't stop at the struggle, whatever you're praying for whatever you believe in God. Don't stop at the struggle. Stay with it until God does it. And so today, I know where I am, but I'm going to need some parishioner, participation, amen. So that simply means just give me an amen. It's okay. It won't disturb me. It won't distract me. Let's practice. Can somebody say, Amen, a man. So we're going to look at how Hannah continue to pray to turn her blockage into a blessing. So Hannah had a dilemma. She was childless but she prays to God for him to turn her situation around. So when we're praying to God, sometimes we're going to have to have a little patience because sometimes God does not answer our prayers when we expect them to or when we want him too. And so If we don't exercise patient, we would do as Abraham did. We would get impatient and we will birth some ishmael's because we are not willing to wait on God's timing just because God doesn't answer our prayers when we want him to does not mean that he is not going to answer. I will, pray, is a remarkable woman, she lived in a dysfunctional family. I don't know about you, but I'm maybe all of your family members or, or or OK, and acting the way they. They should be. But I believe that we all have a little dysfunction in our family but she never allow the dark circumstances to determine the destiny. Even though when I watch when you look at the scripture verse number one says now there was a certain man of Remington zophim of Mount Ephraim. And his name was El cunado. The son of Joe Rohan, the son of Eli, who the son of Goku, to son, of Zeus and Aphrodite. And when we looking at scripture, it is it important for us to understand that to get a proper understanding, of what the scripture is saying. We need to understand people places and things. So, the scripture tells us here, first of all, that alcohol was from Ephraim. Ephraim is a place that is named after Joseph. Son the scripture, the reference that is Genesis 41 and 50. And it says, and the name of the second, this is Joseph. Second Son, the name of his second son call. He eat from for God, have colds me to be fruitful in the land of my Affliction. I don't know about you, but that excited me. When I read that because to be affected as a state of pain, Or distress or grief, or misery. So Joseph is saying in the mist of my state of being in pain, God still calls me to be fruitful. So in other words, Joseph had to go from the pit to prison before he reached the palace. But when he got there he's in the midst of Affliction. God has steal cones me to be fruitful. That is exciting. Because what do you do when everything that you're believing? God for doesn't happen. What you're praying for doesn't happen. She is critical because we are people of Faith. The Bible says, in Hebrews 11:1, faith is the substance of what I'm believing God for. Now, Faith is the substance of things or what I'm hoping for, even when I don't see it. So sometimes, you still have to believe, even though you don't see, it is hard for a people of Faith to sometimes, remain steadfast because we have Vision, right? We have busy, and I love the late, dr. Myles Munroe. He puts it this way. He says, God has established our inform. I will be getting it, so he's predestined us. So, in other words, we have a glimpse people of God into the future. Even when I was circumstances, don't line up with it, we still have to believe God and so, let's move right along. So she from, that's Joseph son, he's being. He says, I am fruitful in the land of all that. I'm going through bus number two sets and he had two wives. I said, Lord have mercy, this is certainly not the 21st century because he has two wives. The name of the one was Hannah at the name of the other Panella and pinilla had children, but had I didn't have any children. I found an interesting people places and things or people named Hannah means. Favor penina in the Hebrew language, literally means a Jewish Soul banana derive from the beautiful stones and it means beautiful. Favorite does not always look fruitful. She was favored by dog Hannah her name, mean meant favor but she didn't receive at the time what she was believing God for. See if you understand the customs, in the matters of the time to be bearing, was simply to be a disgrace. So she was walking around in a state of being disgraced. They were looking at her. Call penina hatchard the Bible says, by Hannah did not have any so when you think about the context of what it's saying or you may have people all around you to have better jobs than you, you make people be around people that have better careers in. You the kids are acting, right? The kids not acting funny, the money is not funny, everything is going, right? So they are seemingly better off than you are. So she represented Beauty but Hannah represent it favor dr. Myles Munroe says the purposes of God's. He even if things are not going the way you expect them to go, God still has and intent for your life. So I'm on the road headed. This way, purposes of God's intent. Destiny is the established in and vision is when you see it, sometimes you can get a glimpse of it, even if you don't have the manifestation of it. Let's move. Go to says, any had two wives, the name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other person, enter a Nana had children, but Hannah didn't have any children. So here she had a blockage. It said, she did not have any children and so understand that the scripture he can we read it first Samuel chapter 1, they were going up year after year to worship and to a festival. She was celebrating increase while being empty. She was celebrating they were on their way up to the festival which was the Tabernacle of feet. And so the Bible says and they went to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Icing, my goodness, so sorry I know it is symbolic of a resting place. So even in the mist of what you are going through, even when you feel all alone, God is still right there. One of my favorite poems is Footprints when they just of the phone. Simply says, when you saw two Footprints, everything seemed to be good. When you saw one set of footprints, when it seems like your world was being flipped upside down, when it seems like you were falling apart. You look back and you only saw one set of footprints where the meaning to the poem is The writer said when God, why did you forsake me? God said, I didn't forsake you. It was in those moments. When you saw one set of footprints that I picked you up, I carried you. And that was me. That was walking You Through The Mists of the Valley of the shadow of death. So when we feel like we're all alone, God is right there in the myth taking care of us in those deslyn. Private places that we really find out who God is it, when everything, A part that we get a real reality of who got is sometimes. We cannot really understand who got his accept. It be by experience experiential. Sometimes we just have to understand that God has healed my body. We don't have to experience everything but sometimes we have a greater understanding of who God Is by experience bus. Number 3 says, and this man went up out of the city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts. In Shiloh. So when you look at Silo geographically on the map, it is in central Palestine and it is a secluded place. That's one of the most secluded places in central Palestine. It's a private place. It's a quiet place. And it is a sheltered place where they had the same to weary. And that was really interesting to me because I said you can worship publicly and we privately In those dark places and those places of solitude pain with the public praise, I said my God that it reminded me of a sermon. I preached a while ago, it was a woman that had an issue above for 12 years and the scripture says that she had a hemorrhage and that she was bleeding in a private place. In other words, she was having dysfunction or problems or Sikkim such and such, and such as this situation in a place that people could not. So, in other words to paint the picture, she will show up for church on Sunday after Sunday, with a smile on her face, but she had a problem or private problem. How many of us come to church? Go to go to school, but wherever we go with private problem, we will dressed up things look to be well, but back behind us. When dealing with problems and issues that nobody can imagine the kids are going crazy, some of them on drugs, some of them and seemingly have lost their mind, you lost a job, most of business contract, whatever it is, nobody knows, but you can have a public praise even in the midst of a private dilemma. So they were going up year after year to worship. It was in the Feast of Tabernacles. I was like this is good it was good to me and I said okay so it won't up near the year worship feasts at the Tabernacle and that was the feast that was celebrating the production that God have given his people. So the Feast of Tabernacles was where the threshing floor was and the winepress was so. In other words, it was at a place where they were threshing the Grain and was at a place where they weren't traveling over the grain to get out the grain. So, in other words, it was a person, it was a beating, it's a place where the grain is produced and the wind is produced and if you know anything about the processes, they are similar. You have to be beat, you have to be pressed. You have to be But just enough pressure so that the sea doesn't cross. So that the Harvest is not bitter. Isn't that just like God to let us go through circumstances situations, not to crush our destiny, not to crush. Our marriage has not to push the digit and the dreams and Ambitions that God has on the inside of us. If you know anything about threshing grain, the former they crushed it in the boxes or whatever means they use and the former will throw the grain up in the air. The heavy the way D, the brain would remain and the things that were or worthless would fly away. So in other words, is symbolic of the Holy Spirit be in the wind. Could you throw it up in the air and the wind takes the check away. So the holy spirit is what's on the inside of us through our process to produce what God wants to produce in our life. So you think you're going to die? You think he's going to crush you but he's preserving the seed on the inside. So that when God doesn't, you're not bitter, you're better. Epicene crushes through the process, you have better wine.

God, doesn't strategically enough. To maintain and keep what's on the inside of you preserved. Soda with his time and you come for you won't come for the bitter, but better. Dress for success. And when the time that I can offer, he gave to Banana Fish wife, and all her songs in her daughter's portions verse 5, but the hell he gave me what the portion for. He loved Hannah, but the Lord has shut up her womb. That reminded me and I and I'm not just want to take a side bar in the Book of Joel. It says God will restore the years that he sent? What the locusts who sent it. Come on, God sent it. So sometimes God will send us to process is to produce what he's trying to get us out of our lives. A process is a series of actions to bring about a designated result. So God's have to take us through. These particular process, is to produce what he wants. In our life, it's at 4. He loved Hannibal the Lord, the Lord, the Lord. The Lord has shut up her room and I want you to take this and write this down. A double portion. Doesn't fix a shut up.

A double portion. Doesn't fix it. Won't solve a divinely. Orchestrated problem. Too often we try to fix it. Gives us avoid to push us into prayer to push us into his presence to increase our relationship with him. Some people try to fix it with money, some people try to fix it with relationship. Some people try to use drugs objects will not saw a divinely orchestrated problem. It won't happen. The Lord shut her womb. Okay, I got I got to go. I got to go. I got to go brush number 6s, and her adversary also provoked her sore for to make her fret because the Lord has shut up her womb. So an adversary is simply an opposing Force

What's opposing you? Distraction is the enemy to devotion.

Sopranino was meant to be a distraction from hell. I cannot tell you how many times God has to Vision, spoke to process into my life and my wife's life and distractions came. I didn't even think about what God Said, two months later. This book called the adversary. The opposition was designed to distract my devotion to God. It was meant to sidetrack. So who are, what is your opinion? An Ina, however, you want to say it. Who or what is it?

We all have them.

All walks of life, all pedigrees. We all have penis.

It says and her adversary also provoked her sore to make her fret. Literally means to feel worried discontent.

That is why penina provoked her

And so, we have to understand. That a closed womb is not the same thing as being buried.

Sometimes we can feel, there's a difference. When we look at it, sometimes we can feel bearing. Inadequate. On able to produce. So to be barring means incapable of producing Offspring, being sterile to be shut up, means to make unavailable for business or service. Just say for a temporary. Moment, how many times have you gone to a business? And you look on the door and you saw a sign on the door shut. So we'll be back in a minute.

Yeah, I know they don't have this door shut. I notice gas station is not closed in the middle of the day. The door shut. And there is no access. So is different to have a closed room. So the clothes room does not Council Destiny, 2 God has placed on the inside of you.

It's Not Over. It's Not Over.

Hey man, you did real well. Banana made two big mistakes. The first one, the first mistake that she made was she thought that Hannah was bearing? She thought she didn't have the ability to produce and the second mistake is that she repeatedly provoked.

It was a deliberate act for God's to to display his glory and Hannah's life. So, you're delayed. Is not a denial. Your clothes wound is not the conclusion. God is trying to get us into a position as prostrate. Before him. To be prostrate is really a birthing position in icy in when Elijah was on Mount Carmel. In the Bible says, that he was in a prostate position. He begin to pray. Begin to pray. Begin to call down rain from Heaven. It was his posture for God to move and forgot to work. It says were seven and as he did so year-by-year. When she went up, Into the house of the Lord. I looked at the text is this year by year? Repeat it. Pain. Repeated pain year after year, after year, but I, I thought it was awesome because she still went to pray year after year. After year, even though the enemy was there to provoke her, she still went to pray. Even though she was there to being provoked by the enemy, she still worship. We can have emotions, but we cannot allow our emotions to have us. When things do not work out the way we expect them. To work out first. Number eight, since then, ethanol her husband. He said her basically why we was down and why it is down now. And what is that grief? I'm not. I better to leave in 10 Sons. What else can I did not know his comfort couldn't cure her condition. It was intended to be vertical and not horizontal. So, we got to make sure that we are approaching this from a vertical perspective. Number 11, verse 11 says that she filed of iron filling to the Lord of hosts. I wouldn't do. You look on their fictional die? Handmade. Paraphraser. Out of that. She vowed a vow and pray to God and one of the greatest prophets of all times was birth, because she looked provocation in the face and continue to pray and continue to worship and continue to pursue. And pray persistently. And this is one more topic comes from inverse number 11 and 12. It says it's about evolve. And moving on. It says if that wouldn't do you look on the Plex until they have made verse 11, verse 12 says and it came to pass as she continued. Praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. So she had a situation that was shut by Providence. Open by prayer.

God. Shut it up. Probably did to me. Are you here? Opened it up. And birth one of the greatest prophets of all time and imma move verse number. 18 says and she said, let Diane handmade find Grayson that site. So the woman went her way and did and she ate Hey, countenance was no more sad. It says that she her countenance was no more sad. So at this point, Hannah prayed and God visited her and wears number 19 says, and the Lord remembered her. So I can imagine that as she was walking around with a smile on her face that month, after month that she started growing. Pregnant and the haters stop hating.

We don't hear no more of Hannah penina. Can you imagine when they sit with her, you know how your child Not knowing that God was working on the inside. And she was growing and smiling verse that says the Lord remembered her. So she worshipped before her miracle. How often do we wait until God? Does what? We're believing for before we give him? Praise. Before we give him on, before we begin to thank him. That's why the Apostle James put it this way. He says count it all joy. When you encounter divers Temptations, one win. It's not if it's going to happen and he's singing in the midst of you and counter and trials, County Joy worship God continue to pray, continue the fast, continue to believe, continue to move forward and I'm going to close right here. Reverse number 22 says by Hannah Webb not. So she went out up for she had said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned and then I will bring him that he may appear before the Lord and their guide for Ever. Are you willing to give God back? What you been praying for?

Is it your kids, your marriage? Are you willing to give God glory? In that thing that you've been praying for. Or. Are you on Mount Mariah as Abraham? Or am I? Trying to offer a sacrifice of Ishmael and Isaac. God said, take the son that you love. And offered him as a sacrifice. Are you willing to give it back to God? For him. To be glorified. Are you willing to give it or is it off limits?

Are you willing to give God back? What God has given to you. The Bible says that Hannah took her son, Samuel. The Eli the priest and said he's going to go by there. Forever. She left in there. So, I want to encourage you today. Persist in your prayer life persist in your spiritual walk. And watch God accomplish. His will that he's already set in motion for your life.

It's already established.

Are you willing to put in the work? Persistent prayer and watch God lose.