StorytellerSample

Hannah wanted a child very much. Her wait was soul-shatteringly hard. At one point in her pain, Hannah went to God’s house to ask Him for a child. She prayed so hard that Eli, the priest there, thought she was drunk. That’s some intense, fierce prayer, right? She responded: “I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:15 NIV). She laid out all of her angst and desire before God, so much so that it was pouring out her very soul. And then, something amazing happened. God answered her prayer and gave her a child. While the moral of this story isn’t that God will answer all our prayers as we’ve hoped, it is that God invites our fierce prayers. When we’re weeping, when we’re bitter, when we’re hurting, when we’re pouring out our souls, God wants to hear it. He receives our fierce prayers. He has told us to come to Him and to keep coming and keep coming to ask Him for what we want. Even if it’s a soul-pouring prayer, God never responds with, “Okay, that’s enough.” Our prayers affect Him; they move Him.

So whatever we’re seeking, we can ask our good Father. We can pour out our hearts to Him, knowing that He hears and will answer in a way that is good.