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Why Pray - 1 Samuel · Mount Eaton Church

• 0:00
  Good morning family.
• 0:07
  If you guys would please turn to 1 Samuel chapter 1 and 2.
• 0:15
  So we really dealt with what and how to pray.
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  So we're going to deal with the why to pray today.
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  It really was kind of pulled between two particular scriptures, but I really feel compelled to end in the real Lord's Prayer, and that's in John 17.
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  So today we're going to deal with a lady who prayed.
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  And in 1 Samuel it really deals with the issue of the birth of Samuel in the beginning and this wonderful story about a woman named Hannah.
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  Hannah.
• 1:01
  I think many women here, I know that my wife particularly really understands this scripture.
• 1:10
  And I think many women here will understand that.
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  So I do pray that you kind of get the heart of Hannah here as she comes before God in prayer and also in prayer or praise.
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  So we're going to pray and then we're going to get in.
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  Father, I want to thank you so much that you are good, holy, and true.
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  Thank you that you are faithful, that your word is faithful.
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  Lord, that your word always returns to you as you have intended it.
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  And Lord, I pray that you would guide our conversation, that the full counsel of your word would be preached and taught,
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  that you are high and lifted up, and that you would guide the words that are coming from my mouth, that you are honored and glorified.
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  Thank you for these truths in the story of Hannah and why she prayed.
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  Help us to grasp the importance of it for your glory in Jesus' name. Amen.
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  So real quickly, I want to go through the doctrine of prayer and a couple of pointers that we talked about last week.
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  We're probably going to go through these same things every week for the next two weeks after this.
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  It says the doctrine of prayer is a means of grace offered according to the will of God, expressed in accordance with his words.
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  Let me rephrase this again.
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  The means of grace offered according to the will of God, expressed in accordance with his word.
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  That's what the doctrine of prayer is.
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  Prayer is the language of the soul, and as John Calvin says it, opening up of our hearts before God.
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  You're going to see this truth come alive in the life of Hannah.
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  Last week we examined the what and how to pray as taught by Jesus in the scripture.
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  That's the model. I use that model all the time. That's how I pray.
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  I follow this model. It has revolutionized how I pray, my purpose in praying, what I'm thinking about when I'm praying.
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  And it's not like some miracle potion.
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  It requires that I'm thinking through what I want to talk to the Lord about or bring to the Lord, and it really guides my heart and it realigns me.
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  That's the other thing I want you to understand.
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  Today we're going to be dealing with the why.
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  Next week we're going to be dealing with when should you pray, and then we'll finish the week after that, to whom should you pray.
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  I think we're going to end up seeing this reality in how people come before the Christ child, and it's going to be kind of cool.
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  Prayer reveals our heart.
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  You guys remember I shared with you that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?
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  Well, prayer just tells me what's in your heart.
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  When you want to listen to somebody and see where their heart is, it comes from the heart, right?
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  Whatever comes from the mouth comes from the heart.
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  And so what you end up really hearing is a person's heart when they're praying.
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  If they're focused on themselves, it's not what goes into a man's mouth and into his stomach, makes him unclean, it's what comes from his heart and out of his mouth.
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  You can tell when somebody's really struggling just listen to their prayer.
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  The second is prayer is about aligning ourselves with God's will.
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  Are we aligning ourselves with God's will?
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  The example I gave you there was Matthew 26, 36, when Jesus goes into the garden at Gethsemane and he prays and he says, not my will, but your will will be done.
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  You're going to see this truth revealed in the life of Hannah and how she aligns herself with God's will and doesn't even realize it.
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  It's really a cool thing.
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  The word prayer in the Greek is pros ukoumai.
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  Pros ukoumai, the word pros literally means to be near or to come before.
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  Ukoumai means to pray or will.
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  So obviously when we're praying, we're praying for the will of God as we come near to God.
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  We want to align ourselves with his will.
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  Now, why should we pray?
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  Why should we pray?
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  You should pray when your heart is heavy and there is only one person you can go to and that's to your God.
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  You pray because your heart is heavy.
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  That's what you're going to read here in Hannah.
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  Hannah is a woman who is married to Elkenna and Elkenna has two wives, Penea and Hannah.
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  And Penea has children, but Hannah does not.
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  Now, interesting enough is every time they go to do a sacrifice,
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  because it's that time of the year for them to go to the temple, Hannah on her way gets made fun of by Penea.
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  And Hannah is really heartbroken.
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  And you know, every man always has an answer.
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  How many men are you?
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  How many of you guys men are fix-it men?
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  I'm a fix-it guy.
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  Wife comes to me.
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  She's upset.
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  She's hurting.
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  I can fix that.
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  She goes, no, no, listen.
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  Well, Elkenna doesn't listen.
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  He does the same thing that every guy does.
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  He tries to fix it.
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  And we're going to read that in a minute.
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  Okay.
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  So I want you to notice this.
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  So what ends up happening is on her way she gets made fun of and then she is, she goes to dinner and her husband comes to her.
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  This dude just don't get it.
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  Her husband comes to her and has the answer.
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  Let's read, let's read 1 Samuel chapter 1 verse 8.
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  One of the things I want you to understand is God knows your heart and your burden, so leave it with him.
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  Watch Hannah's response.
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  And Elkenna, verse 8, and Elkenna, her husband said to her, Hannah, why do you weep?
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  I know you women are saying such a jerk.
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  Why do you not eat?
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  And why is your heart sad?
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  Am I not worth more than 10 sons?
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  That's stupid.
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  I'm thinking, what are you talking, she wants a child.
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  And he says, I'm more, listen, I am so much better than 10 sons.
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  And she's going, no, you're not.
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  Why would she say that?
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  Why would he think that he's worth more than 10 sons?
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  Because there's one thing that men don't understand.
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  Men don't understand the yearning to be a mother.
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  The desire to have a child.
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  And when you go through what Hannah's gone through, and you are really hoping and praying that this time it will happen, and it doesn't.
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  And then you go through more children and you lose them.
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  You're like, what is wrong with me?
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  Why isn't God giving me the desire of my heart?
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  Why do I say that?
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  My wife understands that.
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  We've lost five kids.
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  But God in his wisdom and his goodness has given us her heart to cry.
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  And then Sarah was born.
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  In addition to that, he then gives us more kids through adoption.
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  So I'm like, okay.
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  But get the point.
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  It's the heart cry of a woman.
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  And what's he do?
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  I'm worth more than 10 of those little guys.
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  And I know every mama bear in here would be like, no, you're not.
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  Until they're gone.
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  Then you might be worth more than 10, maybe.
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  No, I'm only kidding.
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  So this is what it says.
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  It says after, verse 9, and after they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose.
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  Now Eli, the priest, was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
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  She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
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  Do you see her heart now?
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  Do you see her heart cry?
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  What does she want?
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  And verse 11 says, and she vowed a vow and said, oh, Yahweh of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant
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  and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give your servant a son,
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  then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life and no razor shall touch his head.
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  I want you to hear her prayer.
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  She comes to him with a heavy heart.
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  Why do we pray?
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  Because there are burdens you can't carry.
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  We bring it to God, the only one who can answer her.
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  Her husband, not knowing, he's not the answer.
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  Look what it says.
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  If you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant, how is she being afflicted?
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  She's being afflicted because she can't get pregnant.
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  There's this internal affliction of her soul.
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  There's also the affliction of her, of the other wife, who she has to share her husband with.
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  And then every time they go up, there's this reminder.
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  So she goes to the only one who can answer her question and says, remember me and not forget your servant.
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  You notice she doesn't say, remember me and don't forget I want to be a mom.
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  She goes, I am your servant. Why?
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  Because she knows that every firstborn son to break the womb is to be given to the Lord as his.
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  I want you to understand that.
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  Because she only gets one son.
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  And what she does is she commits to being obedient to the scripture, to God's command, and she honors her promise.
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  Look what it says in verse 12.
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  And she continued praying before the Lord.
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  Over and over and over again she comes before him, begging him to hear her prayer.
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  Eli observed her mouth, and Hannah was speaking in her heart.
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  Only her lips moved and her voice was not heard.
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  Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
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  See, men don't get it.
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  But there's one thing I think as men we can look at is, do we pray like that?
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  As men?
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  Are we really, with the burden heavy before the Lord, leaving it with him?
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  And so one of the things I want you to see, Hannah could not go to her husband because he could not give her what her heart desired, a son.
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  That's in verse 8.
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  He could only give her what his hands could offer, which was a double portion.
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  He'd take the sacrifice, he would get part of that sacrifice back, and he would feed his family, but to her, because I love you and I'm better than ten sons, here's double the meat.
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  So she poured her heart out to Yahweh Ra'ah.
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  I want you to hear that. Yahweh Ra'ah.
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  You're going to notice something in the scripture, how many of you guys have heard the term Jehovah Jireh?
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  Do you know Jireh is not in the scripture?
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  The word Jireh is nowhere to be found.
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  It's a term that's used because there denotes something that God says about himself as the Sho'al.
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  The Sho'al.
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  And I want you to see this, but here is Yahweh Ra'ah.
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  Yahweh Ra'ah means the God who sees.
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  The God who sees the very thing she desired more than anything else.
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  She ended up surrendering to the God who sees her heart.
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  God sees the deep things of the heart.
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  God knows, and we can have confidence that he will accomplish his will and purpose.
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  1 Samuel 1, verse 14-16, and Eli said to her, how long will you go on being drunk?
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  Put your wine away from you.
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  Notice Hannah's answer.
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  But Hannah answered, no, my Lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit.
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  Listen, there's one thing I know, that when a wife or mother is praying, she is deeply troubled.
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  If she is in the room, locked up, begging her God to save you or care for you or heal you,
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  it's because she deeply is troubled.
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  I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
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  There is a gentleman in the Old Testament, a prophet named Daniel, who did the same thing.
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  As a matter of fact, the scripture says that God had sent an angel before he even started praying.
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  They end up in a nice little fisticuff with Lucifer.
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  And he's like, yo, I've been trying to get you this answer, but why?
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  Because Daniel's heart was troubled and he prayed deeply and cried and wept for the people of Israel,
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  not to be without a place nor a king.
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  Verse 16 of 1 Samuel, do not regard your servant as a worthless woman,
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  for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.
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  What a woman.
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  What makes it special? What makes Hannah, this truth so special?
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  Hannah prayed in the secret place of her heart.
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  How do you know that?
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  Because she was praying and her lips were moving, but you didn't hear anything coming out of her mouth.
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  So much so that Eli was like, why are you drunk?
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  She goes, nah, I was meeting.
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  I was praying to my God because I was deeply troubled.
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  Listen, Matthew 6 says this, but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret.
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  And your father who is in secret will reward you.
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  What does God do for Hannah?
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  He rewards her because she met with him in the secret place of her heart.
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  Philippians 4, 6 says this, do not be anxious about anything,
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  but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.
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  When you're anxious and your heart is heavy, bring it and thank him for it.
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  What you end up seeing literally in the next verses is exactly what happens with Hannah.
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  See, God answers the prayer of a surrendered heart.
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  In Philippians 4, 7 says, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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  Look at Hannah's change in the attitude of her heart.
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  First Samuel 1, 17 through 20.
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  Then Eli answered, go in peace and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.
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  What Hannah didn't even know is that God had already answered her prayer.
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  And what she got from Eli was a confirmation, a moment of hope.
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  God heard me.
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  Can I have a little bottle of water?
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  One of the things I think we don't see and we don't understand is that the importance that Samuel plays in the future of Israel.
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  What happens with Samuel?
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  She didn't know what God was going to do with Samuel.
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  The times were going to change.
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  Samuel was raised up not only as a high priest, but a prophet who would bring about the kingdom, the king, and who would eventually also be the prophet.
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  She never saw this coming, but God did.
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  So what you see in the reality of Hannah's petition before God, because she had already set in her heart to give to God what was rightfully his.
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  She prayed according to his will.
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  As a servant of the Lord, God grants her her petition.
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  Look what it says.
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  And she said, let your servant find favor in your eyes.
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  That's what she says to Eli.
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  After Eli says, hey, may the Lord grant your petition.
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  This word, let your servant find favor in your eyes, literally means may you see the favor and grace of God.
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  May you see the favor and grace of God.
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  This is what it says.
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  Then the woman went her way.
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  And ate.
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  And her face was no longer sad.
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  Do you remember what happened in the beginning every time she would go and he would give her a double portion?
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  She wouldn't eat.
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  And he's like, what's wrong with you?
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  Why aren't you eating?
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  Because I'm too heavy.
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  My heart's too heavy.
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  My heart's too troubled.
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  She prays to the Lord.
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  She gets up.
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  Here's the answer.
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  That's fine.
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  And then literally walks away, no longer sad.
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  No longer burdened.
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  She came before the King to the one who can answer her prayer.
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  And she is fully confident that he has done this.
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  She's no longer sad.
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  Confidence and peace that God heard her heart cry produced in her heart a longing to come before him, prostrate in praise.
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  That's what ends up happening.
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  She is fully confident that God has heard her.
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  And she then goes after it's all said and done and praises him in a prayer of praise.
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  We'll get to that in a minute.
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  She's there.
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  Verse 19.
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  They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord.
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  Do you see what that one moment of surrendering her heart before God, the trouble she lays at his feet, she walks away, no longer sad, which brings her to a place of worship.
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  They went back to their house at Rama.
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  And Elkanah knew his wife and the Lord remembered her.
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  Do you hear that?
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  She went back praising God, knowing that God had heard her prayer.
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  And the scripture says that when Elkanah slept with his wife, the Lord remembered her.
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  You want your prayers?
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  You want God to remember you in your prayer?
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  Pray according to his will.
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  And he will always answer it.
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  And look what it says in verse 20.
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  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.
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  This is like that Yahweh.
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  This is like that Jehovah Jireh.
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  God provided me a son.
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  That's not what it means here.
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  It's actually the word Yahweh Sha'al.
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  Yahweh Sha'al.
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  The Lord who grants requests.
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  Isn't that an amazing statement?
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  So when we think of God provides, it's not that God provides.
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  Of course he provides.
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  It's that God grants requests.
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  And if your request is in alignment and accordance to his will, he will answer you.
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  He will reward you, the scripture says.
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  Turn to Psalm 37.
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  Psalm 37.
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  Verse 1 through 7, and I want you to hear what David says concerning this truth.
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  Psalm 37, 1 through 7.
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  Fret not yourselves because of evildoers, and do not, and be not envious of wrongdoers.
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  That's Panaea.
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  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
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  Trust in the Lord and do good.
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  Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
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  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
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  Commit your way to the Lord.
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  Trust in him and he will act.
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  Not might.
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  He will.
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  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day.
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  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
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  Fret not yourselves over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.
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  Just because bad people seem like they're always prospering.
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  Trust me.
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  It's a temporary thing.
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  But for those who trust in him, he will act.
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  Hannah fulfills her promise and gives Samuel to Yahweh.
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  Her heart fully surrendered in gratitude to her God for being Yahweh Sha'al.
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  The beauty of Hannah's surrendered heart to her God results in praise.
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  And every surrendered heart should only respond in the same way that she does.
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  In praise.
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  When God does this thing and there's a prayer answered, the only response should be praise.
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  Look at what she says here.
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  Samuel chapter 2 verse 1 through 14.
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  And Hannah prayed and said, My heart exalts in the Lord.
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  That word exalts with the U is rejoices.
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  My horn is exalted in the Lord.
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  My horn is the child who has come from her.
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  And this word exalted means to be raised up.
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  Literally, Samuel, my horn Samuel, will be raised up in the Lord.
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  Why?
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  She dropped him off at the temple and left.
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  God raised the boy.
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  She gave to the Lord the firstborn son which she had committed to in her heart just for the purpose of birthing a child for him.
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  What an amazing thought.
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  Do you know Mary does the same exact thing?
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  So when you think about Christmas, you think about Mary, remember Hannah.
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  Because Mary exalts in the Lord for being considered by God to carry the incarnate God into creation.
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  My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.
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  There is none holy like Yahweh.
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  There is none besides you.
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  There is no rock like our Elohim.
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  Talk no more so very proudly.
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  Let not arrogance come from your mouth.
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  For Yahweh is the Elohim of knowledge.
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  And by Him actions are weighed.
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  The bows of the mighty are broken.
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  And the feeble bind on strength.
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  This word bind is the word girded.
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  The feeble are girded on strength.
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  Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread.
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  In other words, those who had plenty end up really working just to get bread because they have no other way to survive.
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  Look what it says.
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  But those who are hungry have ceased to hunger.
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  The barren has borne seven.
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  And she who has many children is forlorn.
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  The Lord kills and brings to life.
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  He brings down to Sheo and he raises up.
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  The Lord makes poor and makes rich.
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  He brings low and he exalts.
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  Raises up is the word there.
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  He raises up the poor from the dust and he lifts the needy from the ash heap.
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  To make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
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  For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's and on them he has set the world.
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  Listen, if you honestly think that God is not in complete total sovereign control,
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  you've totally missed the point of Hannah's prayer here.
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  No one chooses where they go.
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  God has determined that.
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  The Lord makes poor and rich.
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  The Lord kills and brings to life.
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  The Lord brings down to Sheo and raises up.
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  Not you.
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  His determination.
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  He is the God of all things.
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  And when you grasp that truth in reality,
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  and when you go before God in the confidence before the throne of God,
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  you know he will answer you.
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  People wonder, man, I wish I just knew.
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  I wish God would answer me.
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  Why would God have to answer you when you don't even believe he exists?
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  See, if you believed he existed,
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  then you would understand that the whole reason why we're saved is because he loved you.
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  And in his grace gave you a gift of faith so that you would believe.
• 30:24
  Not because you could choose.
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  It's an amazing statement she has here.
• 30:32
  Verse 9.
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  He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, and the wicked shall be cut off in darkness.
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  For not by might shall a man prevail.
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  The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces.
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  Against them he will thunder in heaven.
• 30:51
  The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
• 30:53
  He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.
• 30:58
  Who do you think she's talking about?
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  Who is the horn of his anointed?
• 31:09
  And look at Elkanah's response.
• 31:11
  Then Elkanah went home to Rama,
• 31:14
  and the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
• 31:22
  What a heart of prayer.
• 31:26
  Going broken and troubled and heavy,
• 31:29
  and you leave it there knowing that you prayed and you have left your heart and your soul there.
• 31:35
  And you've met with God in the secret place.
• 31:39
  And God answers your prayer because it's according to his will and his purpose that Samuel be born.
• 31:48
  Why should you pray?
• 31:52
  Hebrews 11, verse 6.
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  Because of this one reason, it says, And without faith it is impossible to please him.
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  For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
• 32:10
  Why should we pray?
• 32:12
  You pray because you seek after God.
• 32:18
  You pray because your heart is troubled and there's only one who can answer that prayer
• 32:25
  and carry and take away the burden of your heart.
• 32:29
  You pray because you want to praise him because he is good and faithful to his people.
• 32:36
  That's why you pray.
• 32:38
  You pray because he commands you to.
• 32:44
  But I don't know how to pray.
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  Jesus gave you the answer for that.
• 32:49
  You exalt God or praise him.
• 32:52
  You surrender your heart before him.
• 32:56
  You ask him and he will give you the desires of your heart because you have now aligned your will to his.
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  He will provide.
• 33:08
  You repent of your sin and you forgive others.
• 33:11
  You petition God for your desires and your issues and you also petition God for others.
• 33:18
  And then you exalt and praise him.
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  Why? Because he is good.
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  Simple.
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  Prayer is not difficult.
• 33:30
  Make it simple.
• 33:31
  Don't be like the Pharisees who give these long prayers and or like the Gentiles just go before God in the secret place of your heart
• 33:43
  and just pour your heart out to him.
• 33:46
  So now we know the why of prayer.
• 33:48
  Next week we will deal with the when.
• 33:53
  And to whom? Should we pray to the Father? Should we pray to the Son?
• 33:57
  Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?
• 33:59
  Should we pray to all three?
• 34:02
  The God in one.
• 34:05
  We are going to answer that in two weeks.
• 34:07
  Father I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.
• 34:10
  Thank you. You are faithful and true. Your word is true.
• 34:13
  Thank you for this amazing story of Hannah.
• 34:17
  Thank you for helping us to understand why we pray.
• 34:20
  Father we thank you and praise you in Jesus name, Amen.