So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. (1 Samuel 1:9-17)
Today's Morsel: Does it pay to pray? Sometimes you may wonder, "Why pray?" When we pray, we can use the hand method for praying. The thumb is the closest, so you should pray for those closest to you; your family and loved ones. Next is the pointer finger. We should pray for those who are pointing us in the right direction; pastors, teacher, etc. Then the middle finger is for leadership; church officials, national leaders, etc. Next is the ring finger. These are the people who are weak. This can be those who are struggling in their Christian walk, those who keep giving in to temptation, those who are afraid to make decisions, and it also includes those who are sick. And finally, the pinky is you, because you are the smallest! You pray for your needs and situations. What I often find when I pray, is that after I have spent time praying for others, when it gets to me, my needs are usually minimal and I spend less time focusing on myself than I did on the needs of others. Prayer does work. Luke said,"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint"(Luke 18:1). T he more we pray, the more things that get done. We just need to make sure that when we pray we aren't praying amiss and for the wrong reasons. Remember, prayer isn't to change someone else, it's to change us.
Sing: Here my cry O' God, attend unto my prayer, from the end of the earth, will cry unto Thee; and when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock, that is higher than I, so much higher than I.
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