Have you ever had someone who just got on your last nerve? I mean it just seems they know exactly what to do to just irritate the fool out of you. How do you handle someone like that?
Yesterday I was preaching about Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. The Bible says she had an adversary who just loved provoking her because she could not have children. But Hannah decided early that the one weapon she had in her arsenal was more powerful than anything her attacker could hurl at her. It was PRAYER!
Hannah prayed in spite of her ADVERSARY. 1 Sam. 1:6 "And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb." She made a decision to give it to God. We all have adversaries but what how we respond to them makes the difference. Hannah didn't pout or pitch a fit, she prayed.
Hannah prayed in spite of her ATTITUDE. 1Sam. 1:6 "And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret..." The words used here means "angry" and "irritated." Then verse 10 says she was also getting bitter. She was getting a bad attitude because her adversary would not let up. So, what did she do? She prayed! (v.10) "And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore."
Hannah prayed in spite of her AFFLICTION. 1Sam. 1:11 "And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid..." The word "affliction" has a meaning of depression. Things had gotten so bad that her irritation which led to her anger and bitterness had now grown into full-blown depression! So how did she get back at her adversary? What underhanded trick did she pull to exact revenge? Verse 12 tells us, "..she continued praying before the LORD..."
What? How can you pray when you are angry, irritated, bitter and depressed? Someone has said, "When it seems hardest to pray that is when we need to pray the hardest." If there's one lesson I take away from this it is this: She kept praying even when she didn't see an answer in sight!
So many times, we pray but when we do not see immediate results we stop praying. Her prayers did not immediately change her circumstances, BUT it did change HER in the circumstances! See, sometimes God's plan might not be to calm your storm. His plan might be to calm YOU in the storm.
So, don't get mad...get glad! Keep on praying. Don't give up!