Prayers of the Bibleनमुना

When was the last time you poured out your soul before the Lord?

In today’s passage, a berated, barren, and bullied woman named Hannah cries out to the LORD for a son. For years, when she and her husband visited the temple, Hannah would get on her knees and pray. Distressed, she wept, prayed, and poured out her soul before the LORD—patiently, like the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8.

I wonder, when was the last time you prayed like this? When was the last time you didn’t just spend 5 seconds asking God for something, but actually got on your knees, wept, pleaded, and poured out your soul before the Lord?

When you read the Bible, you will notice that when it comes to prayer, God wants us to ask. He wants us to spend time, energy, and tears pleading and wrestling with Him. Why? Because He knows our hearts. And when we take time in His presence, earnestly asking for His help, our desires are transformed from selfish wants into desires that glorify God.

Hannah could have simply prayed, “God, give me a son.” But when she truly prayed, when she spent time in God’s presence, pouring out her soul, her prayer became like Jesus’ in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). Her prayer shifted from give me a son, to Lord give me a son whom I can dedicate to you.

Your prayers matter. Your requests matter. Jesus Himself said, “Ask, and you shall receive” (Matthew 7:7). But don’t ask lightly. Don’t treat God like a genie who grants wishes. Instead, humbly come before Him and think what he wants for your life.

Dallas Willard writes, “God’s ‘response’ to our prayers is not a charade. He does not pretend He is answering our prayer when He is only doing what He was going to do anyway. Our requests really do make a difference in what God does or does not do.”

Today, ponder this: When was the last time you poured out your soul before the Lord? When was the last time your prayer was not just a request, but a heartfelt cry that shaped your desires to align with God’s glory?