05-08-2022 - Prayer Warriors

OPENING

Last week, we introduced the concept of POWER ENCOUNTERS. We did so by looking at Matthew 11:12.

Matthew 11:12 NKJV

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

We defined POWER ENCOUNTERS as the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. The Kingdom of God “suffers violence” as the kingdom of darkness wages war against us and tries to keep us from advancing. However, we are the “violent” that “take it by force” by forcefully pushing back against the kingdom of darkness.

Last week, we “took it by force” by serving an eviction notice to the forces of darkness and letting them know that they have no spiritual authority over our lives. This week, we are going to learn how we can continue to push back against the kingdom of darkness on a daily basis. We are going to talk about prayer and what it means to be PRAYER WARRIORS. In honor of Mother’s Day, we are going to look at one of the most powerful prayers recorded in the Bible that came from the heart of a mother; the prayer of Hannah.

SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 1:8–18 NKJV

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 tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and 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 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.

MESSAGE

What is Prayer?

Prayer is:

Talking to God.

Direct contact with God.

The primary way for believers to communicate and fellowship with God.

Prayer can be:

Audible or silent,

Private or public,

Formal or informal.

Prayer is:

Addressed to God the Father,

In the name of Jesus, and

Through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We pray to:

Communicate with God.

Praise and glorify Him.

Tell God how much we love Him.

Make our petitions and requests to God.

A Prayer Warrior is:

Someone who is committed to fighting spiritual warfare through prayer.

Someone who is not afraid to forcefully advance the Kingdom of God against the forces of darkness.

Someone who fights their battles through prayer.

The Example of Hannah

In 1 Samuel Chapter 1, we see an example of a prayer warrior. We are introduced to a Levite by the name of Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. In Verse 2, we find out that there is trouble in paradise. As with every other polygamous relationship in the Bible, there were problems. In this case, it started with the fact that Peninnah had children, and Hannah did not. Hannah greatly desired to have children, but the Lord had closed her womb.

We are told that they traveled as a family every year to Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices to God. Every year, Hannah watched as Elkanah gave portions of the sacrifices to Peninnah and her children to eat. Every year, Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion because he was trying to show her how much he loved her despite her barrenness. He even tried to comfort her by saying, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” How many know that was the wrong thing to say?

None of these things that Elkanah did helped Hannah’s situation or how she felt. It actually made things worse because they were just constant reminders of her barrenness. And on top of all this, the other wife Peninnah took every opportunity to rub it in her face. She provoked Hannah and intentionally made her life miserable. Her time in Shiloh worshiping and sacrificing to God should have been a time of great joy and celebration for Hannah. But she was so miserable and heartbroken that she couldn’t eat and enjoy herself. She could only weep and grieve over her situation.

But there was something different about this year. This year Hannah got up after the meal and decided to go to the Tabernacle. She knew that the Tabernacle was the place where she could find the presence of God. She decided that she was going to take her petition and plead her case to the Lord in prayer.

The Heart of Prayer

Hannah’s prayer came from the heart.

Hannah Prayed with a Honest Heart

1 Samuel 1:10 NKJV

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.

Hannah came to God in prayer in “bitterness of soul.” She didn’t try to hide her feelings or pretend to be someone she was not. She was just brutally honest with God. She had years of pent up hurt and frustration and probably a little bit of anger too. She prayed to God and “wept in anguish” and cast all of her burdens on the Lord.

Do you know that you can be honest before God in prayer? You don’t have to come to God pretending to be someone that you are not. You don’t have to pretend to be stronger than you are. You can come to God with all your questions, all of your suffering, all of your pain. You can cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you!

Hannah Prayed with an Earnest Heart

1 Samuel 1:11 NKJV

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.”

Hannah made a solemn vow to God. She told God that if He would give her a son, she would separate him as a Nazarite. Typically a Nazarite vow was only taken for a certain amount of time. Here Hannah shows the earnestness of her prayer by telling God that she will dedicate him to the service of God as a Nazarite all the days of his life.

First, let me caution you about making rash vows to God. The Bible warns us against making vows and not keeping them. The Bible says it is better to not make a vow to the Lord than to make one and not keep it. The Bible also tells us that if we do make a vow to God, we better keep it.

But notice what Hannah is willing to do in order to see her prayer answered. She is willing to give up the very thing she is asking for and dedicate it back to God. She is essentially saying that she will give the child back to God. Just the pleasure of having the child is all she needs. She is willing to dedicate the child completely to the Lord for His service.

We should pray to God earnestly. God doesn’t want to hear your empty claims. How many people do you know have prayed something along these lines, “God if you answer may prayer, I’ll be in church every Sunday…I’ll read my Bible every day…I’ll pay my tithes.” And how many of those people do you know followed through with their end of the bargain? Be earnest in your prayers to God.

Hannah Prayed with a Fervent Heart

1 Samuel 1:12–14 NKJV

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!”

Hannah prayed fervently. Fervent means “passionate” or “intensity.” Hannah was praying so fervently in her heart, with so much passion and intensity, that her lips were moving, but no sound came out of her mouth. Eli thought she was drunk. How unspiritual was he? He was unable to discern that she was engaged in deep, heartfelt prayer.

Hannah protests:

1 Samuel 1:15–16 NKJV

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 woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

What Eli though was drunkeness was actually fervent prayer. The Bible says that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. In other words, fervent prayer is effective prayer and effective prayer changes things! Hannah “poured out her soul before the Lord.” She put all her cards on the table and laid her heart out open before God!

Would your prayers be described as fervent? It’s not about how loud you are. It doesn’t even have to be audible. Hannah wasn’t even making a sound. She was praying in her heart. But her prayer was fervent. Regardless of the volume of your prayer, it should be fervent. There should be some passion and intensity in your prayers to God. You should pour out your soul before the Lord.

Hannah Prayed with a Humble Heart

1 Samuel 1:17–18 (NKJV)

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...”

Notice that even though Eli is not spiritually where he needs to be and has rebuked Hannah because he though she was drunk, Hannah still responds with humility. Hannah is humbly seeking God’s grace. This is interesting because the name Hannah means “grace.” Grace is asking for grace! Hannah humbles herself before God and responds humbly to Eli.

We should pray humbly to God. We should come to Him humbly seeking His grace and favor on our lives.

Hannah Prayed with a Believing Heart

Hannah prayed in faith. Look at the last part of verse 18:

1 Samuel 1:18 (NKJV)

18 ...So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

God had not answered her prayer yet. She didn’t really know whether God was going to give her a son. She just had a word of encouragement from an unspiritual priest. But she got up and went her way and ate. Before she couldn’t eat and she had no joy because she was downcast and sad and miserable. But when she got up from her time of prayer with God, “her face was no longer sad.” Hannah rose up in faith. Hannah got up and walked in faith trusting that God was going to answer her prayer.

When we come to God in prayer, we must come in faith. You’ve heard the old saying, “bring your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.” That’s what Hannah did, and that’s what we must do. When you truly leave your burdens with Lord and begin to walk in faith anticipating and expecting God to answer, it will change your outlook. You won’t see things the same way you once did. You won’t see the negative, you’ll see the potential of what God can do! When you mix faith with you prayers, there is nothing that God cannot do!

CLOSING

It wouldn’t be right to end this message and not talk about what God did for Hannah. Look at verses 19-20:

1 Samuel 1:19–20 NKJV

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 Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

God gave Hannah her request. He gave her a son. And Hannah held up her end of the bargain. She dedicated Samuel as a Nazarite from the day of his birth. And when Samuel was old enough, she took him to the tabernacle and left him there with Eli to serve the Lord all the days of his life. Samuel grew and became a powerful prophet of God and led Israel during their transition from the time of the judges to the time of the kings.

It doesn’t matter what you situation is today. God is still on the throne. And God still answers prayer. You may feel like your situation is impossible, but there is nothing impossible with God. Take your need to the Lord in prayer.

Pray with a Honest Heart,

Pray with an Earnest Heart,

Pray with a Fervent Heart,

Pray with a Humble Heart, and

Pray with a Believing Heart.

God is looking for some PRAYER WARRIORS who will be willing to engage in spiritual warfare to push back against the forces of darkness that are trying to stop the Kingdom of God. Surrender to God and let Him use you.

Have you ever hear the acronym P.U.S.H? Pray Until Something Happens. That is exactly the attitude that we need to have. We keep praying until God moves. We keep praying until the chains of the enemy are broken off of people’s lives. We keep praying until we see signs, wonders, and miracles happening again. Do we have any PRAYER WARRIORS this morning who are willing to engage in battle? Let’s take advantage of the great privilege we’ve been given to communicate directly with God. And let’s take our place on the battlefield and be PRAYER WARRIORS for God.

ALTAR CALL