Principles-4-Progress 1 of 3

I Samuel 1:9-18 New Living Translation… Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹⁰ Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

¹² As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. ¹³ Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ¹⁴ “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

¹⁵ “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.¹⁶ Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

¹⁷ “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

¹⁸ “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Introduction: The objective of this sermonic trilogy is to plant seeds of healthy spiritual rhythms that create a rich and fulfilling relationship with God.

This series is called Principles-4-Progress because progress in God requires principles that please God.

Sometimes prayer is silence because the pain is too deep for vocabulary.

Transition: It is possible to be in sacred space and still carry secret sorrow.

Exposition: Hannah’s prayer is composed of at least a trichotomy of progressive principles: pain, plea, and peace.

1. Hannah prays from the posture of pain.
2. Hannah’s plea is honest and specific. 
3. Hannah finds peace after prayer.

Conclusion/Challenge: Whatever your heaviest weight is, bring it to God for the next five days. Because when pain becomes prayer, and prayer becomes surrender, and surrender becomes peace, you will discover that God has been working things out for you the whole time!