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Sub Category : Spirituality

 Hannah's Prayer

1 Samuel 2: 2-10
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holy like the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
    and by him deeds are weighed.

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive;
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
    he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
    but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10     those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
    the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king
    and exalt the horn of his anointed.

☆TO BE KEPT BY JESUS 

Oh, to be kept by Jesus. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. How many times trouble has been on every side? Didn't see no way out & I couldn't tell my left from my right but God. We all go through different storms but in the particular passage it speaks of Hannah and Peninnah. Anybody ever had a Peninnah in your life?

1 Samuel 1: 4-11
4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.
When life has been hell & your enemy not only eats from the same table but also shares the same house. When an enemy provokes you just to get a reaction in their wrong doing, where is God? Year after year, season after seasons of pain, disappointment & anger. I know as a woman she had to have questioned God.  Lord, how long are you going to look on before you move in the midst of my situation? Do you not see how this woman that I've broken bread with & considered her a friend has provoked me to anger?  I've fasted & prayed for children even though my husband had blessed me with double portions everytime we come before you but God.... when will it be my time? I have helped to raise Peninnah's children and have none of my own. God why?? I can only imagine this conversation between her & God because I have set in this same scenario for years now. Have I not tried to live my life according to your word? Too many times people will literally do spiteful and petty things to intentionally hurt you. It's a tactic that Satan himself has done for years. To make you doubt God, test your faith and cause you to forfeit God's promises. No matter your storm, don't abort your assignment. Had Hannah listened at Peninnah she never would have tarried in prayer or made her petition known to God. Hannah prayed within herself & only her lips moved. She was so caught up in prayer until Eli thought that she was drunk. 
No not so the only thing that Hannah was drunk from; was prayer. To push pass her pain into her purpose & she did just that. I encourage everyone going through life's storms, to pray & keep seeking God's grace & mercy. Jesus shall surely bring His promises to pass.