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Learning From Two Unlikely Experts

 >  Hannah's Story

    There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. [2] He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
    [3] Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. [4] Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. [5] But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. [6] And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. [7] This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. [8] Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"
    [9] Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. [10] In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. [11] And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
    [12] As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. [13] Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk [14] and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."
    [15] "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. [16] Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."
    [17] Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
    [18] She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
    [19] Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. [20] So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."
    [21] When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, [22] Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."
    [23] "Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
    [24] After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. [25] When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, [26] and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. [27] I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. [28] So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there. _^[NIV]

 >  The Canaanite Woman

    Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. [22] A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
    [23] Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
    [24] He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
    [25] The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
    [26] He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
    [27] "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
    [28] Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.  _^[NIV]

Prayer:
4 Keys To Talking With Dad

   We have to be on good terms.

    If I had cherished sin in my heart,
        the Lord would not have listened; _^[NIV]

    If you had responded to my rebuke,
        I would have poured out my heart to you
        and made my thoughts known to you.
    [24] But since you rejected me when I called
        and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
    [25] since you ignored all my advice
        and would not accept my rebuke,
    [26] I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
        I will mock when calamity overtakes you--
    [27] when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
        when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
        when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
 
    [28] "Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
        they will look for me but will not find me. _^[NIV]

    When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. _^[NIV]

    If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. _^[NIV]

   Just come with what you have.

    And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. _^[NIV]

    "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. [6] But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. [7] And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. _^[NIV]

    "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." _^[NIV]

   The right heart is more important than the right words.

    Away from me, all you who do evil,
        for the Lord has heard my weeping. _^[NIV]

    In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. _^[NIV]

    You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. _^[NIV]

    And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. _^[NIV]

  It's knowing both who we are, and whose we are.

    "Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. _^[NIV]

    "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
    [9] "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! _^[NIV]

    Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- _^[NIV]

    For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." _^[NIV]

    to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. [6] Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." _^[NIV]