1 Samuel 2:21 – And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Hannah is a classic example of a godly woman who exercised her faith in the Lord and exhibited tremendous importunity in prayer. She prayed consistently and continually for a son and vouched to give him to the Lord. Her desire was noble and unselfish. She was keen to have a son and give him to the Lord as a special gift to serve Him in the temple. When she prevailed in prayer, the Lord answered her prayer and granted her desire. She kept her vow to the Lord by giving the son to the Lord as His servant. She was zealous to keep her vow without grumbling. But she seemed not to have expected any more children because she only asked for one son. But the Lord added far more to His answer to her prayers. He honored her faith. He gave her three more sons and two daughters. Our Lord proved to Hannah that He is Sovereign and almighty who answers the prayers of His children graciously and benevolently. He recognized the genuineness of Hannah’s prayer and appreciated her sincerity. Our Lord asks us to open our mouths wide so that He could fill it with His goodness. Like Hannah, it is our privilege to ask the Lord and it is His pleasure to give us far more than we would ever expect. His blessings are all for us to serving Him and not for our selfish ambitions. It is not for our fame but for His praise. Nehemiah would not have expected the refurbishment of the walls of Jerusalem to be completed within 52 days. When Isaac prayed for God to give him and Rebekah a child, God gave them two children. When Elijah prayed for rain, God gave abundance of rain and thunderstorm. When 5,000 people had to be fed, the Lord gave abundance of bread and fish which resulted in twelve baskets of leftovers. We read that at Meribah, there was flooding of water which was far more than what was necessary for people to drink. When we open our mouths wide, our Lord fills it to overflowing.
Dear friend, are you agonizing in prayer for an anguishing need in your life? Have you been battling in prayer for considerable time with no signs of an answer? Are you getting exasperated as you wait for an answer from the Lord? Rest assured that your answers are on their way. When the answers come, you will be in for a surprise. Our Lord answers our prayers according to His measure which are far beyond on our calculations. His hands are big to give us huge blessings which are often far above our imagination. He gives to His children in such a way that their cups run over. He prepares a table for us with all of His goodness on it. When we ask for bread, He will not give us stones. He knows our needs and will meet those needs according to His riches in glory. His pattern of giving is such that He will give us immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. His thoughtfulness about us would then cause us to praise Him so much more. His answers would strengthen us to be totally dependent on Him in all our affairs. Our Lord gives us His best at His best time. When we give our best to the Lord, He gives His best to us to meet our needs. He desires that we give our best and ourselves to Him not because He lacks any thing. It is His desire that we learn to give Him all that we have and are so that all that we have will be His to use for His glory. Today we are challenged to give ourselves and all that we have to the Lord for Him to use for His glory. What He wants to give us in this life is His choice. Whatever He gives us in this life will be far outnumbered by what He has kept ready for us in His Home.
Ephesians 3:20 – Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, be glory forever! Thought for TodayJust as the Lord God is far beyond all our imagination in His power and majesty, so is His giving which is far beyond all that we ask or expect.
