Hannah’s Exemplary Prayer

I want to invite you to turn quickly to the Word of the Lord. I want to speak about a mother, a woman who wanted to be a mother and who had a tremendous yearning. Pastor David Marrero recently spoke to us about that womb that says, “Give me, give me, give me.” Do you remember that? And Hannah, in the First Book of the Prophet Samuel, was such a woman. She had a voracious desire to be a mother, and she channeled that desire, that longing for motherhood, in a constructive way. In His mercy, God granted the petitions of her heart.

I want to read to you this passage from First Samuel, chapter 1, because I consider Hannah an exemplary woman whose life, values, and conduct amid trial and need encourage us and also give us reason to emulate her behavior.

Chapter 1 of First Samuel says: “There was a man named Elkanah, and he had two wives…”—verse 2—and, brothers, do not take this as an example for yourselves or anything like that; this was simply about 3,000 years ago. Just in case, we are in the twenty-first century, 2009.

“And he had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. And every year that man, Elkanah, went up from his city to worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.”

In other words, every year this man went up with his whole family—with Hannah and Peninnah and the children she had—and, as was customary in ancient Israel, during those times of the year when the sacred festivals were held, they would go to Jerusalem, probably, to offer sacrifices there in the temple and present their offering to the Lord. The whole family went; I imagine it was a great family event, and Hannah and Peninnah had to spend time together there, if they did not already do so, and they met there on that journey. They went to worship there, in that place where Eli the priest and his two sons, who were also priests, served.

“And when the day came”—verse four—“when Elkanah offered the sacrifice, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters, a portion to each one.”

Perhaps he gave each one an article of clothing, a sweater, or a little money for a snack, or whatever it might have been; he gave them their portion for their support, or a special gift.

“But to Hannah he gave a choice portion, because he loved Hannah, although the Lord had not granted her children.”

That expression is very important: “although the Lord had not granted her children.” I believe the writer was very intentional in putting that there.

But Hannah, despite having no children—which, in that Hebrew culture so inclined to hope for children, meant that if you were a woman and were married but had no children, it was like… it was viewed in that culture as a failure. For Hebrew culture exalted children, and it was as though a woman’s reason for living was to become a mother, to have children; and when a barren woman could not have children, the father or husband felt as though “she has not fulfilled her mission.”

“But Elkanah, even though Hannah had not borne him children, loved Hannah.”

Ask yourself why, and we will probably see—and I hope I have enough time at least to point out—something in Hannah’s character that had won Elkanah’s love.

“And her rival”—a very deliberate word chosen by the writer—“her rival, Peninnah, would provoke her, making her angry and sorrowful because the Lord had not granted her children.”

There again is that expression: “The Lord had not granted her children.”

I believe… let me ask you: Do you think that expression is purely poetic or metaphorical, or was that really how it was? Ultimately, the Holy Spirit wrote this.

“And God had not granted her…” There was a decision there, I believe. What it implies is that there had been a decision on God’s part not to grant her children. I do not need to defend God, and that is what it says there. I am not going to try to dress up the dead or anything like that; that is what it says there: “God had not granted her children”—twice.

I am going to explain why I insist on this. “This happened every year. Whenever she went up to the house of the Lord, she provoked her”—she mocked her—“and so Hannah wept and would not eat.” Hannah felt the raw pain of being unable to become a mother.

And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” Elkanah apparently thought highly of himself, didn’t he? He did not suffer from low self-esteem: “Hey! You have me; what do you need children for?” I imagine Hannah… “Hmm… I would like to answer you, but I am going to give you a diplomatic response here.” Hannah wanted a son. She loved her husband and rejoiced in her husband’s love, but in her heart she had a need to be a mother, and that was what concerned her most.

Verse 9 says: “And Hannah rose after she had eaten and drunk in Shiloh”—they are already there at the sanctuary—“and while Eli the priest was sitting on a chair beside a pillar of the temple of the Lord”… And this is important.

Who was Eli? Eli was a priest who had already reached old age, and… later I may explain a little more about him. But he is, in fact, an interesting figure in the early years of Samuel’s life. Eli is sitting by one of those pillars, much larger than one of these pillars here. Given his way of being and the character the Bible portrays, I picture Eli sitting with his chair leaned indolently against the pillar, looking toward the sanctuary, which at that moment—since it does not seem to have been a time of formal worship—was perhaps empty or half-empty.

And he… perhaps his eyes were moving across the space of the sanctuary, and Hannah came in. Eli is sitting beside a pillar of the temple, and verse 10 says that “she, in bitterness of soul”—that is a very strong expression—“in bitterness of soul prayed to the Lord.”

How many of you know that God is not offended when you sometimes cry before Him, pour out all the bile you have inside, shed your tears, and throw a tantrum before Him?

That is good. I have done it, and I have come away blessed by it, you know? Sometimes we have to cry out before God. It does not bother God when you make yourself vulnerable before Him. It does not bother God when you even speak to Him with heartfelt words. On the contrary, I believe it even pleases God, because you would not speak forcefully to someone unless you believed in him and believed that he was capable of receiving what you were saying.

It tells us there to “come boldly to the throne of grace.” To me, boldly means that I can also lay before the Lord all my weaknesses, my frustrations at times, my sense of doubt, fear, questioning—whatever it may be. Brother, feel free to lay bare your humanity before God.

We do not have to come to God with pretenses, formulas, or showing off, as we say.

Come before the Lord openly, boldly, humanly, and pour out your need before the Lord. The Lord loves that.

“Then Hannah, in bitterness of soul, prayed to the Lord and wept ‘abundantly,’ and she made a vow, saying: ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child…’” You have to be specific with the Lord. She did not say, “Just give me whatever You want; if it has two heads, that’s fine.” Instead, she said, “Give me a male child.”

How important it is to be specific before God! Amen.

Tell the Lord exactly what you need, down to the first and last name. If you have a problem, describe it to Him in lavish detail. If you are seeking something in your life, take the time to elaborate on it before God. God already knows what you need, but He likes it when we let Him know, when we enter into conversation with Him. That indicates intentionality on our part; it indicates that we believe in Him.

Take time to elaborate on your needs.

She made her petition before God: “If You give me a male child, I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall pass over his head.” Incidentally, that does not mean Hannah did not want to spend money on a barber.

In the Jewish context, have you heard of the Nazirites? Does anyone know what a Nazirite is? Ah! I think there is a Nazirite here, because someone here said “Amen” so forcefully. Brother Roberto Naranjo, over there. You are a Nazirite even though you have cut your hair—even though you have cut your hair, my brother—because you and your wife live devoted to the Lord.

The point is that the Nazirites were a very select group of people completely devoted to the Lord. There were… and sometimes a person could make a one-year vow, which I believe was called the “Nazirite vow,” whereby a person could say, “This year I am going to dedicate it to the Lord… my life…” And the distinctive mark of the Nazirites was that they did not cut their hair. Their long hair was a sign of their consecration to the Lord.

Can anyone tell me the name of someone who never cut his hair until a woman came along and tripped him up? Samson.

Do you remember that Samson never cut his hair? That is, until the poor man fell into a trap, and then he lost the anointing God had given him. But it was a sign of consecration to the Lord.

And Hannah said, “Lord, if You give me a son, I am going to dedicate him to You; I am going to dedicate him to Your service.”

How many know that children belong to the Lord? They are not yours; they are not mine; they belong to God. God gives them to us so that we may care for them, shepherd them, and direct them toward Him, toward His heart; but children do not belong to you or to me. God has a race for them, God has a purpose, God has a calling, God has a destiny, God has a course of training for them, and we had better not get in God’s way when He wants to do something.

Many parents are too possessive, and we want to control our children; we ourselves want to guide their every step, and sometimes we stifle God’s purpose in their lives. And it is an art to know how far to tighten our grip and how far to let go so that God may know what He has to do and do what He has to do in the lives of our children. That requires tremendous faith, you know? But we need to do it. We need to make room for God to work in the lives of our children, and what we must do is entrust them to the Lord, give them over to God, place them in God’s care, and hope that they will be men and women of God. That is the greatest purpose we can envision for our children.

Before we desire them to be astronauts, engineers, doctors, or influential politicians, let them be men and women of God. Everything else is icing on the cake; everything else is secondary. People of character. And that is why we must train our children, as the Word says, in the fear of God and in the knowledge of the Word, emphasizing the spiritual formation of our children.

That is why, brothers and sisters—and what I am doing is weaving the sermon together with the reading itself—it is so important for us as parents to invest in the spiritual education of our children. Many times the church will offer programs, and we have youth services and activities.

Look, brothers and sisters, instead of spending $15 to take them to the movies to eat jelly beans and watch a film that often will do them no good, if there is an opportunity to invest that money in a good book, a youth conference, or a spiritual experience that will leave its mark on them, do not spare any expense on whatever may bless your children.

Many times it will require you, during winter, to come home, eat something, get into your car, and drop off your son or daughter at church for the Friday-night class or for something else—some experience at a spiritual place, a retreat, or whatever it may be. Look, do it in the name of the Lord. Invest, and say, “Father, I am doing this as an investment in the character of my son or my daughter. Use this act that I am offering to bless them, and create a man or a woman who will serve You and love You above all things.”

How many can say amen to that? Give the Lord a great round of applause and affirm that in your life.

We have to know what our priorities are, brothers and sisters. Being a mother or a father is not a part-time job. It is intensive; it requires dedication. It is the most important ministry any man or woman can carry out: being a mother. And it is one of the most exalted things. Today, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the professional woman, the woman who takes the world by storm, the successful woman, and sometimes the role of a mother is somewhat minimized.

My sisters, I want to affirm you and tell you: There is nothing more important than being a mother in the name of the Lord, instilling spiritual values in the lives of our children. That is the noblest, most dignified, most influential work there can be on Earth. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. The hand that rocks the cradle is the most powerful influence in the world—not the politician standing high above everyone on a national platform. It is that hand that cradles, blesses, instills values, prays for that child, and creates men and women who love God and are firmly grounded in the Lord.

What does the Word say? It says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Mothers and fathers, too, many times we invest in our children and think, “Hey! This seed is falling on barren ground. It is falling on sterile ground. I don’t see any results.” Look, what you are doing when you raise your children is placing spiritual time bombs in their hearts. You may not see them immediately; you are sowing seeds for the long term.

But one day, when those rebellious children or those who are slow to listen reach a certain age and feel the pressure and weight of life, when they begin to have to earn their daily bread, or experience their first failure when they apply to college and are not accepted, or when their first girlfriend or sweetheart leaves them and they feel the first pang in their hearts, or when they have to earn their daily bread, or get married and experience marital problems... those time bombs will begin to explode within their hearts.

And you know what? They will look for a church, they will seek prayer, they will seek God, and what you sowed there will come to light. Sow, sow, sow, always, and leave the result to the Lord. Amen.

The Apostle Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the growth.” Our part is to sow the seed and make sure that it is good seed in the soil of our children, and to water it with prayer, with love, with sleepless nights, with declarations of trust in the Lord, and to believe that God will give the growth in His time. What you sow for your children will not remain fruitless; it will not fail to succeed.

So, sisters and brothers, I encourage you to sow in the Lord.

And when I say brothers, I want to remind you that the work of sowing and raising children does not belong solely to women, just in case.

Fathers, I believe that one of the greatest needs culture has at this time, regardless of nationality—but in Latino culture, in African American culture, and also, I believe, very much in Anglo-Saxon culture—is a great need for committed fathers, exemplary men, men with the Word of God flowing from their mouths because their hearts are full of it.

Men of prayer, men who defend their families, men who morning and night stand at the forefront as priests, leading the spiritual life of their families. Men who are allowing themselves to be broken by the Lord, tenderhearted men, men who set themselves the task of being exemplary fathers and husbands, of winning the hearts of their wives, of earning the love and respect of their children, their wives, and their relatives. Men who are willing to give up things they love and do not think they need to give up so that their families can move forward and make progress and so that their marriages can move on to the next step. One of the great absences that I believe our community has is precisely the lack of priests in the homes. And I encourage you men—come on, including myself—let us set ourselves the goal of growing more and more in the Lord every day. Amen.

Let me tell you that this is very important, because many times sisters come to my office for counseling, bleeding because they are growing, receiving the Word, being blessed, surrendering themselves, being tender, letting the Lord shape them, and they are like soft wax on which the Lord need only press His finger ever so lightly for them to take on the form God desires for their lives.

But they are bleeding because their husbands are not walking beside them, and they feel that they are leaving their husbands behind. They are growing, moving forward, receiving God’s blessing, and many times we men are not giving our all. And this is a loving, pastoral word for my brothers, not something meant to get them in trouble with their wives, you know?

But it is important for us men to get moving. God wants priests. Brothers, I cherish the work of the women in our church and in the church of Jesus Christ. I believe that—well, I do not have enough words to express how much I thank the Lord for each and every one of the sisters.

But you know what? I always insist that there is something very special, that God has a priestly role for the man. Contrary to what is preached nowadays, I do believe that the man is the head of the woman. Now, not the head in order to oppress, control, or abuse her, but to lead in the true sense of the word.

For example, through his example and conduct, brothers. Amen.

And for that we need wisdom from God; for that we need surrender to the Lord. Do not leave the burden of prayer, reading the Word, and spiritual growth to your wife.

You be the first one, out in front. Earn the right to lead by exemplifying the character of Jesus Christ and passion and love for the things of God.

And when we have well-matched “couples,” our homes will be blessed. Not mismatched, but each one there beside the other, walking step by step, conquering territory, blessing their families, exemplifying unity, both receiving from the Lord and growing together like two leafy plants nourished by fresh, flowing waters. God will bless our homes.

We will not have children wandering around out there, trying to assert their masculinity improperly because they do not have that fatherly warmth, and we will have confident women who will dwell securely because they have good support. Amen.

So, those are some of the things, and I believe my time is almost up, but let me continue a little longer, because if you have time, brother, sister, use this week to meditate on those first two passages of First Samuel. They are beautiful passages, very rich and filled with extraordinary teaching.

Focus on Hannah’s character; look at everything Hannah can teach us—and Eli as well. Eli, by the way, was not a good father. Eli was the antithesis of Hannah, and he paid a very high price for his carelessness and his lack of discipline and integrity, and for how he handled his sons, who were pastors, who were priests. And God condemned him severely. The end of his life was dishonorable because he did not fulfill his duty as a father.

So read these two chapters above all. In fact, the first three are tremendous chapters, and you will learn a great deal from them. Use this week to meditate on these chapters and to grow in your knowledge of this aspect of the Christian life.

So, let us continue... Hannah is there in the sanctuary, praying to the Lord, weeping bitterly, asking God to grant her a son. She says to Him, “Lord, if You grant me that son, I am not going to control him, I am not going to possess him, I am not going to pretend that he is mine; I consecrate him to You, so that You may make of him whatever You wish. He will be an instrument in Your hands.”

Those are the prayers God honors. The prayers in which we ask not to gratify our own appetites but to glorify the Lord. You can practically take that kind of prayer to the bank, believing it will be answered. The prayer offered to glorify the Lord and advance His Kingdom—that is the prayer God delights to honor above all other prayers.

Then it says that “as she continued praying”—verse 12—“for a long time...”

You know what? Prayer should be passionate, persistent, and detailed, and one should take one’s time. There you have four qualities of prayer.

How often do we offer drive-by prayers, right? While putting on our tie to leave, we say, “Lord, bless me this day and bless the family, in Jesus’ name. Amen.” Then we shoot out the door, right?

While eating our bowl of oatmeal or our toast: “Lord, thank You for this day. Bless me....” and then we immediately leave for work.

God likes you to sit down, relax, have your cappuccino, your little cup of coffee, find your best seat, and set aside time at the best moment of the day. Do you know what my best moment is? Perhaps I have already shared it with you. Early in the morning, before the sun rises. Often, if the sun has already risen, I feel as though I have wasted the day.

Listen, but how lovely it is in winter! When you know that outside the cold is roaring and the wind is whistling everywhere, while you are at home, sitting in a little corner on your sofa or favorite chair, drinking a cup of tea or coffee and talking with the Lord before the day begins.

That time when your mind is clear after a few hours of rest and you have not yet been contaminated by the news, the day’s conversations, or the noise of the street, and you can sit down and talk with your Lord. Consecrate your day to God, speak to Him in great detail because you have taken the time, bless your family, bless the matters in your life, present the longings of your heart to the Lord, catch up with God, and also listen to Him.

Because many times, in those moments, God will place impressions in your spirit and will also speak to you about what He wants from you. Because He likes a dialogue; He does not like a monologue.

Take time to listen to God as well. Close your eyes and let God speak to you, and you will see that you begin to experience thoughts, impressions, and longings whose origin you will not even know. When you receive them, consecrate them to the Lord and say to Him, “Father, thank You for speaking to me. I am going to act on that. I am going to sanctify it and give it to You.”

Set aside time; take time to pray to the Lord. Prayers should be like this: passionate, persistent, detailed, and specific. All these things are here.

Look, Hannah’s prayer, by the way, is one of those exemplary prayers found in Scripture. I place it alongside Daniel’s prayer in his book, alongside Nehemiah’s prayer in the First or Second Chapter of his Book, and Solomon’s prayer before dedicating the temple; this prayer is one of the great prayers of history. And it is an example of the values and elements that should characterize a prayer that God hears and honors.

It says that “as she prayed for a long time before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth.”

Listen to me, there are people who look only at what is on the outside; they do not look at what is inside. Never allow yourself to be influenced by people who have no vision. Never let carnal, mediocre, lukewarm people drag your life down. Because that is what they will want to do. If God places passion, surrender, courage, a desire to serve the Lord, and restlessness within you—if God places in your heart an outrageous offering of something for Him—do not let mediocre people drag it away from you. Eagles should not heed the advice of chickens; that is all I am telling you.

Look for eagles to advise you. And if you are not an eagle, by listening to the advice of eagles you will become one. Amen.

But Eli was a man who had already lost his vision; in fact, I believe that at one point he lost it physically and lost it spiritually. Eli had lived a life that by then was like... unfortunately, there are people who serve the Lord who, when they reach middle age or old age... brothers, they are like a dull sword that no one took the time to sharpen.

Brother, if you want to grow in the Lord, what is your goal? My goal is to reach old age with as much love and passion for the Kingdom of God as I had when I was 25 years old. In fact, with even more—with such enthusiasm for God, with my eyes shining and eager to hit the giant with one more stone to make sure he is dead.

But there are people who are like... in other words, we cannot live on momentum. Many of us Christians live on momentum: we receive the Lord and go to church so they can give us a tune-up every week and inflate our tire again, and we think that is the Christian life, the life of discipleship. Brothers, we must live with our swords drawn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We must pray, cry out, read, seek, ask, converse, cry out to the Lord. That is the only thing that creates a man or a woman who reaches the finish line just as well as—or better than—when they began, with the same passion, the same joy.

Many men and women in the Bible ended in defeat after beginning well because they did not devote themselves to the disciplines of the spirit.

If you have entered the Lord’s ways, do not take your hand from the plow; do not take your hand from the sword. Say, “I am going to live each day loving God more, seeking more of Him, crying out to Him more, reading more of His Word.”

Eli was not like that, and when he reached old age he had lost his spiritual vision; his sons were a disaster, his family was a disaster. By then, all he was waiting for was to reach the age when he could collect Social Security and go off somewhere over there to create... and when he sees Hannah, he cannot understand what Hannah is going through.

It says, “...but Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.” He said, this woman must be drunk, because he sees that this woman is not saying anything aloud; she is moving her lips. I imagine her face was contorted with passion and pain, tears were streaming from her eyes, and her face may have been red because of everything she was feeling at that moment. Perhaps she was making strange gestures. Brother, look, if people think you are strange in the Lord, thank God. I would rather have unbelievers and people who do not understand God think I am crazy, as long as I am crazy for the Lord.

May God grant that our life of prayer and service to the Lord cause a stir among those who do not know God, so that they have to say, “What is going on with this person?”

But Eli saw Hannah crying out to the Lord in that way and took her for a drunk, and then Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk, woman? Put away your wine.” And Hannah answered him, saying, “No, my lord.”

Listen to me, sisters, be honest: how many of you would have answered that way if someone said to you, “Look, I think you...”? I think you would have scratched his face right away; those fingernails would have been all over him. Be honest; do not raise your hand, but confess it there in your heart. How many of us, right?

One of the things about Hannah is her meekness. She was a meek woman. I know some of the brothers are saying, “Amen, Pastor, keep going that way—you’re doing well.” I gave the men plenty a little while ago, so...

But there is something special about meekness, both for men and for women. Nowadays a woman says, “If he throws one plate at me, I’ll throw ten at him.” “If he breaks one piece of the dinnerware, I’m going to break the whole set over his head, not on top of...” I think marriages today cannot get anywhere because everyone is standing there with fifty knives and daggers, waiting for... like gunslingers: one draws, and the other immediately fires, right?

Do you know what is going to heal our marriages? Someone who is willing to say, “You know what? This time I’m going to keep quiet. This time I’m going to pray; I’m going to commit my cause to the Lord.” Wait for God to provide the right moment or whatever it may be, but it is so important. Do not shoot from the holster, as so many of us do; we are expert gunslingers. We do not even have to draw the revolver. We fire immediately and settle whatever we have....

Meekness—the Word of God says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” And Hannah’s reaction has deeply impressed me, and we all have much to learn from Hannah’s character.

Why do you think Elkanah loved Hannah so much? I think it was because of her character. Peninnah was the complete opposite; she was a shrew.

Is there any sister here named Peninnah? Please raise your hand.

Is anyone named Hannah? Raise your hand.

Look! That is the difference, brothers and sisters. When Peninnah died, I do not think anyone cried; they said, “Thank God that shrew is gone.” The world is much better off without her.

You know what? Meekness, good character, tenderness, humility, generosity of heart... those things have incredible power, brothers and sisters. Let us ask the Lord to help us.

What does the Word say? “If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other one to him.” Not his cheek, but yours.

It says, “If someone curses you, bless him. Pray for those who persecute you, because in doing so you will heap burning coals on their head.” Meaning that you will put something like burning coals on them, making them feel so hot that they will either have to flee from you or ask forgiveness. You will put them to shame.

Brothers and sisters, there is something powerful in that character of Christ, that fruit of the Holy Spirit, that love, goodness, peace, meekness, joy, trust in the Lord, kindness. That fruit of the Spirit sometimes has more power, I believe, than the gifts of the Spirit. We Pentecostals focus so much on the gifts, but you know what? The fruit of the Spirit is more powerful for dealing with the devil.

The devil likes to struggle and contend with violent people, but when it comes to people who have the character of Christ, he does not know what to do with them. He wags his tail and does not know how to get at them because there is nothing in them that resembles him.

So let us cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord that our homes may be homes where peace reigns, where there are no abusive, hurtful, piercing words. Before you say a word that curses, wounds, or cuts the heart of your child or your spouse, ask the Lord to hold your tongue. Count to one hundred, count to three hundred—whatever it takes.

May the Lord grant that there be something like a ceiling in our homes that prevents emotions and harsh words from rising beyond a certain level of intensity. May they be homes where problems are resolved through good conversation, where people wait for the right moment to address a heated issue, where they take turns waiting and committing their cause to the Lord, where the peace of God is present. Because that allows the Holy Spirit to dwell in a home. May people entering your house sense, “There is something different here; the peace of God is here.”

Let us ask the Lord to cultivate... Hannah had that beautiful character, and Hannah answered, saying, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for I have been speaking until now out of the greatness of my anguish and affliction.”

Eli, softened, answered and said to her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you the petition you have made to Him.”

Do you see how she transformed this man? One of the few moments of nobility he had in his old age was that moment when he entered into his priestly role. Because her answer restored him spiritually, and she said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went on her way and ate, and she was no longer sad.

I am going to leave it there, and I am going to ask the musicians to come up here for a moment.

Brothers and sisters, how beautiful. There you have, as it were, the beginning and the end of an exemplary prayer, of a beautiful process of faith, beautifully concluded. The Lord has wanted us to focus on this aspect of the sermon. If you want other aspects of the sermon, look for the morning sermon, because there are other very beautiful things in Hannah’s life that greatly enrich our understanding of this great woman.

But what should our prayers be like? What should our walk before God be like? How should we face the crises, the lacks, the empty spaces in life? We must fight them in God; we must fight them with God at our side. We must sanctify and consecrate our petitions before the Lord. Brothers and sisters, may God make each one of us passionate people toward God, people who live their lives before God. If God does not give you something you deeply long for, as in Hannah’s case, bring your cause before God, but do not grow bitter. Keep your disposition sweet, submit to God’s will, and bring your cause to the Lord; present your need to the Lord day after day and ask God to change the course of your life. And if God takes time to answer your need, enjoy life in the meantime, and do not allow negative things to make you bitter and rob you of your faith in the God who has His time for everything.

Tell the Lord, “Father, even if You do not grant me what I have asked of You, I will still ask every day of my life until You let me enter. And I know that when You let me enter Your Kingdom, I will have everything I asked You for and much more.”

But in the meantime, enjoy life; take delight in life. If God has not answered all your petitions and has not filled all your empty spaces, be like Hannah. Hannah did not allow that to make her bitter or contaminate her relationship with God; it allowed her to be passionate toward Him, seek an answer in His Temple, and live in submission to the Lord.

Commit your cause to the Lord; do not rebel, do not grow bitter. God has His time; God knows what you need. God is eager to respond to your need and your petition.

May God bless us this day through the example of an exemplary woman, Hannah, who blesses us and speaks into our lives across the ages and the ages.

Stand up, and once again may our mothers receive the Lord’s blessing. Go forth affirmed—and also, look, that is another whole subject that I am not even going to get into. To those who are not mothers, to the single sisters, we bless you and tell you: you are a crown, or a jewel in the crown of this church. Do not think in any way—never make the mistake of thinking—that you are incomplete in any way. And may we as a church never make the mistake of leading anyone to think that a woman must have a man in order to be complete.

God has purposes for your life, woman. Whatever your state may be, you are a precious daughter of God. You have so much to give, so much to enjoy, so much to learn and experience! So I encourage you to embrace life and take hold of it completely, and enter into the game of life with your God beside you, showing you the way ahead.

Never live thinking, “I do not have this; I do not have that.” Focus on everything you do have, everything God has given you, everything you can do, everything you can accomplish in the Lord. Do not go around trying to create Ishmaels and make do with things that are not meant for you, because all they will become are stumbling blocks in your life.

Wait for the Lord’s time, and in the meantime enjoy your life. Take delight in what God has given you and grow in the Lord; give to the Lord, nurture spiritual children, cultivate friendships with like-minded people, travel, read, learn, contribute, serve. All of that will make you a fulfilled woman in the Lord. God knows the right time for everything else. Amen.

Let us live fruitful lives in whatever state God calls us, wherever we may be; there let us bear fruit in the Lord. We bless you in the name of Jesus.

Father, thank You, thank You, thank You.

Thank You because wherever we may be, whatever our situation may be, because we have You, we are seated on the thrones of kings and queens. We are in a garden in bloom, Father. We are in positions of authority; we can live fruitful lives because we have You, the perfect lever; we can move the world, Lord. We can act upon our reality; we can change destinies; we can attain things and perform mighty deeds, Lord, because we have You as our God.

Thank You because You have good intentions for us, and thank You because You have said that our families will be blessed and prospered. Our children will be like plants; our children will inherit the nations, restore ruined cities, rebuild the walls in fallen places, and spread Your Word. A blessed generation.

You want to bless our homes, Father.

I bless my brothers and sisters wherever they may be; whatever their state may be, I bless them. Thank You for Your Word, Lord.

Take us to our homes; allow us to enjoy this day. Bless our mothers wherever they may be, and bless us here in this country to which You have brought us to be a blessing. Thank You.

In Your name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen and amen. God bless you, my brothers and sisters.

Sermon by Dr. Roberto Miranda recorded May 10, 2009, at Congregación León de Judá

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