Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom.The Bible tells us that wisdom is the most important thing a believer can have. Therefore, we should pray first that our kids have wisdom. If they are wise, everything else falls into place. So we are going to take a good, long look at wisdom because we want our kids to be successful in every area of their lives.
(Prov. 4:7)
I don't know about you, but I'm results-oriented. I'm competitive. I want to win. When I do something, I like to see the fruit of it. And I'm the same way about prayer. When I pray for my own kids and other kids, I do my best to see that I am praying according to God's Word and His will because I want to see my prayers answered. I want to see their lives touched and changed by God, to see them walk in His ways and power. Bottom line is: I want my prayers to work.
As parents and mentors of kids, we know that one of the best ways to discover prayers that work is to read the Bible and find out whose prayers were answered and what they prayed. What wisdom did they walk in? An example of someone who prayed and got results was Hannah in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel, chapter 1, she prayed because she had a problem with her kids: she didn't have any!
Hannah's Prayer
Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"
So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."
(1 Sam. 1:8-11)
Every year Elkanah and his family journeyed to Shiloh, where the tabernacle or tent of worship stood. Like the rest of Israel, they came to pray, offer sacrifices, and worship God. Hannah was "in bitterness of soul" because she had no children. She and Elkanah had tried and tried, but she remained barren, so she poured out her heart to God. She promised Him that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to His service and see that he lived a holy life.
And it happened, as she continued praying before
the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.
Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips
moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli
thought she was drunk.
So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk?
Put your wine away from you!" (1 Sam. 1:12-14)
Eli was the High Priest who officiated over the affairs of the tabernacle, helping the people of God with their sacrifices and hearing their prayers. As Hannah prayed, he watched her. He saw her mouth move, but no words were spoken, so Eli thought that she had been drinking. He accused her of being drunk in the Lord's tabernacle and told her to clean up her act!
Hannah immediately denied that she was drunk and explained her situation to Eli.Eli told her that she could be at peace because God had heard her prayers, and He was going to grant her petition.
But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now."
Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."
And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
(1 Sam. 1:15-18)
It didn't matter how Hannah prayed, that she didn't yell in a booming voice or even say anything out loud. God heard her heart, and He hears yours too. Also, it is interesting that one of the first things the devil tried to do as Hannah was praying for a child was to demean and devalue her. Through Eli's accusation that she was drunk, the enemy attempted to bring condemnation on her. He also tried to cause a serious misunderstanding between her and the man of God.
Satan hates it when you pray for kids. He will do everything he can to convince you that you are a "nobody" to God and that God doesn't care about you or your kids. He will get other people to criticize you and make you feel unworthy of God's attention. He'll try to talk you out of praying; and if he can't talk you out of it, he'll introduce every lie he can think of to get you to believe that your prayers are completely ineffective. Basically, he wants you to fall into doubt and discouragement and then quit praying altogether.
Hannah never stopped praying, and she had the wisdom to tell Eli exactly what she was praying for and what her situation was when he accused her of being drunk. Then Eli heard from God and put her heart at ease that her prayers had been heard and answered. By the time she left the tabernacle, she was a changed woman. Hannah had come to Shiloh broken, but her faith in God caused her to pour out her heart in prayer. After talking with the priest, she returned home full of hope and expectancy.
by Blaine Bartel.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers