Hannah Prayed

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

The Bible teaches that prayer is essential for expressing our dependence on God and His mercy, as demonstrated in Hannah's prayer. Prayer serves as a vital communication channel between believers and God, showcasing our reliance on His grace and power. Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2 illustrates the profound nature of prayer, reflecting her gratitude and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty in her life. Throughout Scripture, we see various examples of powerful prayers—from Elijah to David—highlighting the significance of seeking God's will and intervention in our circumstances. These prayers remind us of God’s holiness, His ability to transform our situations, and the assurance we have in bringing our requests before Him.

Q: How do we know God answers prayers?

The Bible assures us that God hears and answers prayers, as evidenced in Hannah's life when God granted her request. God’s faithfulness to answer prayers is a recurring theme in Scripture. In Hannah's story, her fervent plea for a child was met with God’s favor when she bore Samuel. This not only illustrates God’s responsiveness to our petitions but also emphasizes His sovereignty in fulfilling His promises. In James 4:6, we read that God grants grace to the humble, encouraging believers to approach Him with sincere hearts. God's answers may not always align with our expectations, but they are always rooted in His perfect wisdom and timing, affirming that He is attentive to the cries of His people.

Q: Why is understanding God's holiness important for Christians?

Understanding God's holiness is crucial because it shapes our worship and acknowledgment of His power and perfection. God’s holiness is His intrinsic characteristic that highlights His separation from sin and perfection in righteousness. Hannah recognized this attribute in her prayer, proclaiming, "There is none holy as the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:2). This understanding compels Christians to approach God with reverence and humility, acknowledging our own unworthiness. It shapes our lives, guiding us toward a greater appreciation for the grace that we have received through Christ, who embodies holiness. Ultimately, recognizing God's holiness fosters an attitude of worship and obedience as we strive to reflect His glory in our lives.

Q: How does God's sovereignty relate to human circumstances?

God's sovereignty governs all circumstances, giving believers hope that He works everything for good according to His plan. Understanding God’s sovereignty is foundational to trusting in His plans amidst life's uncertainties. Hannah’s prayer reflects this divine governance, acknowledging that ‘The Lord killeth and maketh alive’ (1 Samuel 2:6). This duality emphasizes how God orchestrates every event in accordance with His divine will, whether for our trials or triumphs. Romans 8:28 further assures us that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God.’ This perspective allows Christians to face difficulties with faith, knowing that God's sovereign hand is at work, transforming our trials into avenues for growth and reliance on Him.

Q: Why should Christians be humble in asking God for help?

Christians should be humble because humility acknowledges our dependence on God's grace and mercy. Humility is a core attitude that Christians are called to embody, especially in prayer. Hannah exemplified this posture of humility as she poured out her heart before God, acknowledging her inability to conceive without His intervention. Her prayer reflects a reliance on God's grace, reinforcing the biblical teaching that ‘God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble’ (James 4:6). By approaching God with humility, we recognize that nothing we achieve is by our merit but is a gift from Him. This cultivates a spirit of gratitude and dependence that glorifies God as we rely on His strength and provision.

The prayers of the servants of
the Lord which are recorded in the scriptures are so instructive,
inspirational. I want to give you some scriptural
references where some of these prayers are found. I wish you'd
jot these down and take time to read these prayers. Let me
give you a few. In 1 Kings 18, verse 36 through
38, you have the prayer of Elijah on Mount Carmel. This is such
a great prayer. That's 1 Kings 18, 36 through 38. And then David's
prayers, two especially. One recorded in 2 Samuel 7, verse
18 through 29. 2 Samuel 7, 18 through 29. The other, 1 Chronicles
29, 10 through 16. 1 Chronicles 29, 10 through 16.
Solomon's great prayer. 1 Kings 8, 22-56. 1 Kings 8, 22-56. Habakkuk's prayer. Habakkuk chapter 3. It's the
entire chapter. Habakkuk chapter 3. Daniel's
prayer. Daniel 9, 3-19. Daniel 9, 3-19. The prayer of Jehoshaphat. That's
in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, 6 through 12. 2 Chronicles 20, 6 through
12. And then our Lord's prayer in John 17.
And these prayers are such a blessing
to read them over and over again. I hope you'll do that. Read these
prayers that I've given to you there. But our study tonight
is the prayer of Hannah. It says in verse 1 of chapter
2, and Hannah prayed, and Hannah prayed. That's the title of this
message. This is one of the most blessed, beautiful prayers in
all of Scripture. I've preached from it several
times, and I hope to preach from it many more times. This prayer
is so, of this dear woman, is so honoring to God. Wish I could
pray like that, like she prayed. It's so applicable to us in every
situation. It's so timeless, ageless, never
grows old, never weary of reading Hannah's prayer. Let's read it.
the first ten verses of 1 Samuel 2, and Hannah prayed. And she
said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in
the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice
in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord,
there is none beside thee Neither is there any rock like our God.
Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Let not arrogance come out of
your mouth. For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are
broken, their weapons. And they that stumble, the weak,
are girded with strength. They that were full have hired
out themselves for bread. They've fallen so far. And they
that were hungry and in need cease to be hungry. They were
filled. And the barren hath borne seven. And she that hath many
children is white stable. The Lord killeth. The Lord maketh
alive. He bringeth down to the grave
and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh
rich, he bringeth low and lifteth up. And he raiseth up the poor
out of the dust, lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill to set
them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set
the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his
saints. The wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength
shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall
be broken in pieces. Out of heaven shall he thunder
upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends
of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his King. Unto
his King I'll set my King on the holy hill, that's the Messiah,
and exalt the horn of his anointing. Now you're familiar with the
experience of Hannah, which led to this prayer. Brother Cecil
just read it, and we're not going to read chapter 1 again. But
I'm going over just a few points which he read, so they'll be
fresh in your mind as we read this prayer, and as we enlarge
upon it. First of all, her husband, his
name was Elkanah, and he had two wives. Hannah and Penina. Hannah was much loved. You heard
him read that. Much loved by her husband. Very
special love for her. But she was childless. The Lord
had shut up her womb. Penina had several children.
I don't know how many, but she had many children. And she was
very jealous of Hannah because of the husband's affection for
her. And she She caused Hannah much grief. Let's look at, we
will look at verse 6. Her adversary, that was Penanna,
she had children. And you can just imagine the
things she said to Hannah who had no children. Her adversary
provoked her sore and made her frat because the Lord had shut
up her womb. And verse 7, as he did so year
by year when she went up to the house of the Lord, Penina provoked
her. She'd go with her husband to
worship in Shiloh, and Penina would provoke her, and finally
Hannah just quit eating. She cried and weeped and wouldn't
eat, and her husband, in verse 8, asked her, said, Why do you
weep, Hannah? Why don't you eat? Why does your
heart grieve? Am not I better to you than ten
sons? Well, Elkanah went to Shiloh
every year to worship, and Hannah usually went with him, having
no children. She could make this trip, and Anna probably couldn't
because of so much responsibility with her children, but Hannah
always went with him. And there she was in great distress. You remember, as Brother Cecil
read it, let's look at verse 9. And Hannah rose up after they'd
eaten in Shiloh, and after they'd drunk, And Eli, the old priest,
sat upon a seat by the post of the temple of the Lord. And she
was in bitterness of soul, heartbroken. She prayed to the Lord, wept
so, and she made this vow. She said, O Lord of hosts, if
you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid and remember
me and not forget me, but give me a man child, I'll give him
to the Lord, and he'll serve the Lord. all the days of his
life. He'll be a Nazarite, not a razor
touch his head. Well, you know, Eli thought she
was praying silently. She wasn't saying anything aloud.
She was praying. Her lips moved and she was weeping
and her lips were moving. He thought she was drinking.
He thought she was drunk. And Eli rebuked her. And that's
when she told him that she touched no wine, no strong drink, that
she was in bitterness of soul, heartbroken, never had a child.
She was crying to God for a child. And Eli then told her, said,
verse 17, Go in peace. The Lord God of Israel grant
thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And that son was
born. Verse 19, verse 20, verse 19,
And they rose up in the morning early, worshiped before the Lord
and returned to their home and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife
and the Lord remembered her and he came to Paris when the time
was come about after Hannah had conceived she bare a son and
called his name Ask of God Samuel saying because I've asked him
of the Lord now then the men of the household According to
Jewish law and tradition, the men of the household had to appear
before the Lord at three festivals every year,
at three festivals where the men had to appear. The women
did not have to go. Their husbands represented them.
That's what was written a while ago. He was there in their place
and he, down here in verse 4, When the time was come that Elkanah
offered, he gave to Panana his wife and all her sons and her
daughters portions. Well, Brother Cecil and I were
talking about it. He represented them before the Lord. They weren't
there. And he sacrificed for them, gave
them portions. And when it came time for him
to mention Hannah before the Lord, it was a double portion.
I just imagine he's praying for her too. Imagine, if her heart
was broken, you know, if somebody you love that much got a broken
heart, you got a broken heart. And maybe verse 5, unto Hannah
he gave a double portion for her to the Lord. A double offering,
a double portion, whatever this was, because of his love for
her. Well, usually she went, but here
she said in verse 21 now, when he was... Verse 21, and the man of Elkanah
and all his house went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly
sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah didn't go. She didn't
go. She said to her husband, I will
not go up until the child be weaned. Now, I told you this
a good while ago in a message. The weaning of a Jewish child
was threefold. When Hannah finally went up to
Shiloh and took Samuel, she didn't take an infant. What in the world
would that old high priest do with an infant to serve the Lord? She didn't take an infant. It
says down here in verse 25, the first line, they slew a bullock
and brought the child. Verse 24, the last line, the
child was young. He was young, but he wasn't an
infant. He was young. So there's three weanings of
a Jewish child. There's when he's weaned from
his mother's breast, when he's weaned from his nursemaid. They
put a nursemaid in charge of these. These women had many children,
these wealthy homes, that a nursemaid took care of the child, and there
comes a time when he's no longer cared for by the nursemaid, and
then there comes a time when he's showing some maturity. 12, 13 years of age. That's when he's brought to the
temple. Remember when the Lord Jesus came and he was 12 years
old? And that's when he's brought before the Lord. And that's about
the age here that Hannah took him. And she said, I'll not go
up there. Verse 20, 22. Hannah went and
got up. She said, I'll not go up till
the child is weaned and then I'll bring him that he may appear
before the Lord and there abide forever. And Elkanah, her husband,
said to her, do what seemeth good to thee. Tarry until you
have weaned him, until all this has taken place. Only the Lord
establish his word. The Lord establish his word,
and you establish yours. There was a vow made. When you
bow a vow before the Lord, you keep that vow. Her husband was
telling her, this matter between you and the Lord is to be dealt
with. Only, whenever you go, that's fine. But when you go,
the Lord establishes His word. Establishes His word. So the
woman of Bo gave herself up until she winged Him. And then verse
24, they went up. And she spoke to Eli. She said
in verse 26, Oh my Lord, is my soul living? My Lord, I am the
woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. 12 or
13 years ago. For this child, I pray, and the
Lord has given me my petition, which I ask of Him. Boy, did
he! Turn to chapter 2, verse 20,
chapter 2. Chapter 2 of 1 Samuel, verse
20, And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord
give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to
the Lord. And they went unto their own house, and the Lord
visited Hannah, and she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters."
She had six children. Four boys, Count Samuel, and
two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before
the Lord. All right, and that's the story,
and then this is her prayer. She brought her son to the Lord. This is her prayer, and I want
us to look at it for a little while. She says, and Hannah prayed,
and she said, My heart rejoices in the Lord. Her heart rejoiced
in her husband. Her heart rejoiced in her sons
and her daughters. Her heart rejoiced in all the
mercies and blessings that God had given to them. But her chief
rejoicing is in the Lord. My heart rejoices in the Lord. And when I thought of that, I
thought of Mary's song in Luke 1. Would you turn over there
a moment and listen? Mary says something very similar
to this in Luke 1, verse 46. Our rejoicing is in the Lord. In Luke 1, verse 46, and Mary
said, My soul doth magnify the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God
my Savior. For he hath regarded the lowest
state of his handmaiden, and behold, from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed. Now listen, he that is mighty
hath done to me great things. Holy is his name. I can say that. The Lord hath regarded my lowest
state, and he that is mighty hath done for me great things.
My heart rejoices in many things. for which I'm grateful to God.
But my heart rejoices chiefly in my Lord. He's the object of
my affection, and yours too. And that's what she's saying.
And then notice the next statement. Mine horn is exalted in the Lord. Horn in the scripture is strength.
The horn of the anointed. The horn is strength and power. horn of the Lord. And she's saying
that my strength is exalted in the Lord. Here's what she's saying.
The change in my state, the change in my condition, and my ability
to conceive and bear a child is from the Lord. I am what I
am by the grace of God. Every good gift and perfect gift
comes from God. This is what she's saying. My
ability to conceive and bear a child. is of the Lord. My strength is exalted in the
Lord. By the grace of God, Hannah went
from bitterness of soul to happiness of spirit. By the grace of God,
Hannah moved from misery, failure, hopelessness, to joy, fulfillment,
and life, and joy being the mother of Samuel, the prophet of God. who anointed David, king of Israel. Oh my, she had something to tell,
didn't she? My heart rejoices in the Lord
and my strength is exalted in the Lord. Now listen to the next
line. My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies. I think she's talking
a whole lot here about banana, the agitator, the adversary. the one that was putting her
down. And I imagine as Penina put her down, a lot of the other
ladies in the camp put her down. But she said, now my mouth is
no longer silent. About all she could do when they
would make fun of her and laugh at her and were jealous of her
and envious of her, about all she could do is just sit silently
and cry. She quit eating. Didn't smile,
bitterness of spirit. Now, she said, I'm not silent
anymore. My mouth, my mouth is enlarged
above my enemy. No longer silent, but open wide
for all to hear. All to hear what? What the Lord's
done for me. That's what she's to hear. We
always talk about witnessing. I turn to Luke 8. I hear people
talk about witnessing. What do you think is the best
kind of witnessing? Well, I'll tell you what I believe
it is. I believe it's telling people what the Lord's done for
us. I don't think it's just going
forth trying to teach people doctrine, trying to convince
them of a doctrine. That's important. That's for
teachers to do. To persuade, not persuade men. And to present the truth, the
doctrines. But when a person goes forth
to tell about the mercy of God, one of the best ways to do it
is to tell what the Lord's done for you. And that's what our
Lord said to this man in the land of the Gadarenes. Luke chapter
8, verse 38. Now the man out of whom the Lord
had cast these devils, out of whom the devils had departed,
he besought the Lord Jesus that he might go with him. Take me
with you. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
return to your own house and show how great things God has
done unto you. And he went his way and published
throughout the whole city how great things the Lord Jesus had
done unto him. And that's the best witnessing
there is. That's what Peter said in Acts
4. He said, I can't help but tell the things I've seen and
I've heard. That's what he's done for me. And that's what Hannah's saying.
My heart rejoices in the Lord. The Lord made the difference.
My strength. is exalted in the Lord. The right,
the power to conceive is by His grace. And my mouth is enlarged
over my enemies because I rejoice in His salvation. He saved me,
delivered me, and so merciful to me." Do you think this dear
woman has some understanding of the character of God? Look at the next line. She sounds
like Isaiah. Three things she says here in
verse 2. There's none holy as the Lord. Here's a spirit taught woman.
She's saying God's chief attribute is His holiness. His holiness. God is holy. God is essentially,
perfectly, unchangeably holy. All others are not. There's none
holy as the Lord. Isaiah said, when I saw the Lord
high and lifted up, His train filled the temple, and the seraphims
cried, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. And the whole
earth moved at His presence. That's what she said. None holy
is God. God is holy. God is holy. And then notice the next statement.
And there's none beside thee. What did Isaiah say? He said,
I'm a just God and a Savior, and there's none beside me. So
look unto me, and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth, there's
none else. There's none beside thee. I'm the way, the truth, and the
light. No man cometh to the Father but by me. None other name unto
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Other foundation
can no man lay." She said, our God's holy. Our God is holy. There's none
holy as the Lord. And there's none besides the
Lord. And then watch this next line. Neither is there any rock
like our God. Moses said that. Turn over with
me to Deuteronomy chapter 30, 32. Deuteronomy 32. There's no rock,
foundation, like our God. That rock that followed them
was Christ. And Moses over here in Deuteronomy
32, he says in his song, verse 31, Deuteronomy 32, 31, their
rock is not our rock. Their rock is not our rock. Our rock is God. There's no rock like our God. Yesterday I was looking at a
scripture in Isaiah 53. I want you to look over here
a moment. I saw something that I've never put together like
this before. None holy as the Lord. None holy as the Lord. None beside
the Lord. And no rock like our Lord. Who
shall accomplish His purpose. Look at Isaiah 53 verse 10. And
underscore these words. This word shall and shall. Now what's this? It pleased the
Lord to bruise him. The Lord put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering to sin. God made the soul of
Christ an offering to sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. He shall prolong his days. And
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. That's
our rock. He shall see of the travail of
his soul. He shall be satisfied. By his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. For he
shall bear their iniquities." And one more. Therefore, because
our Rock, our Redeemer, our just God, our Savior accomplished
all these things, therefore, will I divide him a portion with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong." The
Lord of hosts. He came down from heaven alone,
walked the winepress of God's wrath alone, made his soul an
offering for sin. redeemed his people. And then
when we went back, and the scripture says, open the doors and lift up the
gates, the King of Glory is coming in. They said, who is this King
of Glory? It's the Lord of Hosts. He's
bringing back all these redeemed ones. He came alone. He went
back with every one of us. and entered into the presence
of his father, the forerunner, and sat down, and we sat down
in him, the Lord of hosts." Ah, there's none holy as our Lord,
and none beside our Lord, there's no rock like our God. Look, look
quickly at the next, the next verse here. Don't, don't talk
any more proudly. You know, we don't have any room
to complain if we're barren. We don't have any room to boast
if we're blessed. We don't have any room to complain
if we're empty. We don't have any room to boast
if we're poor. We don't have any room to complain
if God passes us by. We get what we deserve. We don't
have any room to boast if God calls us. A man can receive nothing
except it be given him from heaven. So let's not talk anymore. Who makes us to differ? What
do we have we didn't receive? Talk no more proudly. And look
at the next line. She said, in no way let arrogance
come out of your mouth. I learned a new word today. I
was reading John Gill and he said, arrogance. What is arrogance? He said, arrogance is to arrogate
to ourselves or to our merit what we are or enjoy. Arrogate. And I looked up the word. That
is a word. Arrogate is arrogancy. And arrogate,
arrogancy is to arrogate or ascribe to myself anything I have, anything
I know, any hope I have, any mercy. any material, physical,
or spiritual blessing, to my own merit, or works, or deeds,
let not arrogance come out of your mouth. For listen, for the
Lord is a God of knowledge, listen to this woman, the Lord is a
God of knowledge, perfect knowledge, omniscience, He knows all creatures. He knows all angels. He knows
all men. He knows all they do. He knows
all they think. He knows all they imagine. He
knows everything going through our minds and our souls and our
hearts and our imagination. God is a God of knowledge. There
is nothing He does not know. And by Him, actions are weighed. In other words, because He knows
our thoughts and our motives, then our actions are weighed
in respect to those thoughts and motives. See what she's saying? Don't
talk proudly. Don't in any way, let not any
arrogance come out of your mouth. God's a God of knowledge. He
knows your thoughts. He knows your actions, but He
knows why you do this, why we do this, why we do that, why
we say this, why we say that. Before we ever do it, He knows
that which promoted it and preceded it, influenced it. For example,
there are two people in the Scripture that lied, just flat out lied. One of them, God blessed, and
the other one, He killed. Rahab lied to the king. The king
came to her and said, where are those Israelite? She said, they're
gone. They're gone. They were right
upstairs in her house, hidden under that page. You remember
that? They're gone. She said, if you hurry, you'll
catch them. They haven't been gone too long. Lying! But her
motive was right. She's protecting the servants
of God. She was doing the will of God.
She was speaking for God, protecting His servant. Now, Ananias and
Sapphira, they brought money, gave it to the apostles. And
they told the apostles, they said, we sold our property and
this is all of it. Peter said, this is all of it.
Yeah, that's all of it. We give it all to the Lord. And God killed
them. And the people saw their actions
was good. They brought a whole lot of money
and gave to the church. And everybody was shocked when
they fell dead. But God knows the heart. And by Him, actions
are weighed by what He knows of the heart. See what she's
saying here? So don't talk proudly. Don't
let arrogance come out of your mouth. Don't pop off too much,
because the Lord is a God of knowledge. Perfect, perfect omniscience. He knows everything. And by Him,
our actions are weighed. See, good can be bad. In the case of Ananias and Sabaoth.
Good can be bad, because the motive was wrong. And bad can
be overruled by God because the motive is right. That's right. He looks at the heart. And then verse 4, she said, in
his remarkable, she said, and she's talking, what she thought
about Panana here, what she's producing, the bows of the mighty
men are broken, the strong are broken, They that are stumbled
have girded with strength the weak, the helpless, the hopeless
got strength. They that were full have hired
out themselves for bread, and they that were hungry have stopped
being hungry. The empty is full, the full is
empty, and the empty is full. And the barren hath borne seven. She that hath many children is
wax feeble, the proud is humble, This is what the Lord does. If
you'll turn to James 4, let's look at two scriptures. James
4 verse 6. This is why she said, don't talk
proudly, don't let arrogance in any shape, form or fashion
come out of your mouth because God is a God of knowledge and
He weighs the actions and therefore the strong are brought down The
weak are lifted up. The full are emptied. The emptied
are full. And over in James 4 verse 6. He giveth more grace, wherefore
he saith, God resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace to the humble.
And then look at 1 Peter. 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5. Verse 5, 1 Peter 5, verse 5,
"...Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves to the elder, yea,
and all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with
humility." God resisted the proud. He resisted the proud. Arrogancy
gives grace to the humble, so humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God that He exalts you in due time. Talks like the Apostle
Peter, doesn't she? And then verse 6, let me give
you this. She says, there's a two-fold meaning here in verse 6 and 7.
Let me give you the verse 6 and 7. The Lord killeth and maketh
alive. Death is of God. I'm talking
about physically. This is, this is In the flesh,
materially, physically, death is of God. It's by His appointment. When death, when God has commissioned
death, there's no resisting it. God kills. Not even a sparrow
falls to the ground without your father. God kills. Alright. And
God maketh alive. The Lord gives life. He is life.
The Lord bringeth down to the grave. He brings down to the
grave all natural men. And someday He'll bring them
up. The day is coming when all that are in the grave shall hear
His voice, and shall come forth some unto life eternal, some
unto the second death. But God will bring them up. The
Lord maketh poor. The Lord makes poor, and the
Lord makes rich. The Lord bringeth low and the
Lord lifteth up by His directive or permissive will. Some men
are rich and some men are poor. Some men rule, some men serve. Some men succeed, some men fail. Some men live, some men die.
That's just true. In the natural, in this world,
The Lord kills, the Lord makes alive, the Lord brings down the
grave, the Lord brings up, the Lord makes poor, the Lord makes
rich, the Lord brings low, humbles men, embarrasses them, humiliates
them, others he lifts up. But now the second reference
is spiritually. This is true spiritually. Our Lord's greatest glory is
His sovereign mercy to sinners. Now watch how we apply this. You know, Moses says, show me
a glory. The Lord said, I'll be merciful
to whom I will be merciful. I'll be gracious to whom I will
be gracious. So watch this. The Lord killeth. He kills us
by the law. He kills that pride, that arrogancy,
that self-righteousness. Paul said, when the law came,
I died. Who killed him? God did. Isn't that right? God slew Paul. Slain of the Lord. God killed him. And showed him
he was dead in sin. And then the Lord makes alive.
There's a gospel quickening. The Word is heard. And men live. Just like Lazarus. And when our
Lord said, Lazarus, come forth. We come forth. Quickened by His
Spirit. Made alive in Christ Jesus. The
Lord bringeth down to the grave. He allows our bodies to go into
the grave. We put some of our loved ones
out here in the grave. They're not going to stay there.
He's going to bring them up. He'll raise our bowed bodies and make
them like His glorious bodies. The Lord maketh poor. He made
us poor in spirit. Else we wouldn't have been blessed.
For blessed are the poor in spirit. What are the poor in spirit?
Arthur Pink said, poor in spirit is to have nothing, can do nothing,
know nothing. Poor in spirit. God made us poor
in spirit. Stripped us. Humbled us. Broke us. Brought us down. And
He made us rich. Revealed unto us the riches of
His grace in Christ Jesus. I'm rich! Rich in Christ. He bringeth low. Boy, I tell you, the Lord shows
us our low state, our helpless state, our wretched state. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who
shall deliver me from this body of death? God brings us low, and then He
lifts us up by the love and the grace of his son, our Lord Jesus
Christ. He lifts us. That's what she's
talking about, because watch verse 8 now. This is the marvelous
grace of God to his people. Sinners say, he raiseth the poor
out of the dust. Spiritually, we're the poorest
of beggars. Can you imagine a beggar sitting
by the roadside in dust, out of the dust, in dust and dirt,
begging. He has nothing but a dunghill
to lie on. He raises the poor out of the
dust and lifts the beggar from the dunghill. He passed by and
there's old blind Bartimaeus, been blind all his life, sitting in the dirt in the dust
and filth, begging in darkness. Nothing but a dumb hero to sit
on. No comfort, no help, no future, no hope, no helpers, no friend,
alone in this world. And he passed by and lifted him
up. Gave him life for his darkness
and life for his death and cleansing for his filth. And He raised
up this poor old beggar out of the dust and from the dunghill,
listen, to set him among princes. He raised him up. You have to
quicken who were dead. He raised us up. But God, who
is rich in mercy for His great love, wherewith He loved us,
even we were dead in trespass and sin, raised us up with Christ. Made us sit together in the heavenlies
to sit among princes. Among the patriots, Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and David. He made us sit with the
elders. Boy, what I was. But let me tell
you what we are now. A beggar in the dust on the dumb
hill. What made the change? He did
it. He did it. He raised us. He lifted us. He set us among princes and made
us inherit the throne of glory among the sons of God, the heirs
of the kingdom. To have a place. I got a place.
A name. I have a place. You have a place and a name in
the kingdom of the Son of God. We're kings and priests to our
God. And He made them to inherit the
throne of glory. How did He do this? Well, the
pillars of the earth are the Lord's. He owns everything. He laid the foundations of this
world. And He'll keep the feet of His
saints. He's going to keep the feet of
His saints. The wicked, they're going to be silenced one of these
days and perish in darkness. And by strength shall no man
prevail. The redeemed are not redeemed
or preserved by their strength, and neither can the wicked be
delivered from the wrath of God by their strength, but all by
the power of God. The adversaries of the Lord are
going to be broken to pieces. Out of heaven shall He thunder
upon them, and the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth in
righteousness, and He will give strength and more strength and
more strength to His kings. the Lord of Hosts, the Lord Jesus
Christ, our Savior, and exalt the horn of his anointed. Ah,
what a prayer. He lifteth up the beggar from
the dust.

Hannah Prayed

What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

How do we know God answers prayers?

Why is understanding God's holiness important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty relate to human circumstances?

Why should Christians be humble in asking God for help?

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Hannah Prayed

What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

How do we know God answers prayers?

Why is understanding God's holiness important for Christians?

How does God's sovereignty relate to human circumstances?

Why should Christians be humble in asking God for help?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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