Prayer – Pouring Out Our Souls To The Lord!

“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.” 1 Samuel 1:15.

How often do we hear routine prayers? Sometimes people go through just the motions of prayer—for example, a casual prayer for food, brief and quick prayer prior to sleep,  written down prayers in certain Christian denominations, etc. When you read a prayer someone else wrote, I am not sure how much emotional connection you have with those words.

However, Hannah’s prayer was different. She had a heartbreaking and painful issue to deal with every day- her rivalry ridiculed her day after day because she was barren and did not have a child. 1st Samuel 1:10 says, ‘In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.” Verse 15 says she poured out her soul in prayer to the Lord.

She was in deep anguish when she prayed.

No wonder she got an answer for her prayer. Verse 18 says after she poured her heart to the one who is powerful to help, “then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.” She knew she shared her personal and most emotional need to the Lord God of the universe. Now, she stopped weeping, ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. She knew in her inner heart he did the right thing and so she felt no need to be sorrowful anymore. God gave her a son named Samuel, Israel’s most outstanding judge and priest in its history. You can read about it all in 1st Samuel chapter 1 and 2. The rest of the book talks about the wonderful priestly and prophetic ministry of Samuel, whom God gave to her in answer to her ‘anguished’ prayer.

Beloved, God wants you to pray earnestly, fervently, and persistently. God wants you to pour your heart into Him. He loves it because it reveals your hope and trust are in the right place -the Lord God.

Routine and barren prayers would not help. Your prayer must be diligent, earnest and it should result in pouring out your heart to God.

God hears fervent prayers. God hears earnest prayers. He hears anguished prayers. He hears when you pour your soul to Him in prayer.

The Bible says Elijah was a man like us. That statement means he had the exact nature as you and I. An ordinary man like all of us. However, He prayed ‘earnestly’ that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17-18.

Earnest prayer means passionate and emotional prayers from your heart to the one who is able and willing to help.

Just a couple of days ago, I had severe stomach pain and could not sleep in the nighttime. Early Morning at four, my wife and I talked about going to the emergency room because the pain was not going down but was only increasing. She dressed up and came ready to take me to the emergency after struggling through the night. I said to her, let us both pray. Our prayer was fervent, earnest, and emotional. We poured out our hearts to the Lord. After the prayer, my pain began going down in a few seconds. I said to her, let us pray again. We prayed earnestly and fervently again. May I testify that my severe stomach pain, which was haunting me, disappeared in a few minutes? We didn’t have to go to the hospital. Left fully and completely. Praise God!

Beloved, your prayer must not be casual and routine. It must be an act of pouring your heart to the living God. The Bible promises if you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God will answer your prayer.
Pray earnestly, fervently, and emotionally. Pray by pouring your soul to the Lord. Pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Father in heaven, I understand you expect earnest, fervent and emotional prayers from us. May my prayer be never casual or routine. May it be pouring my heart to you in anguish and fervency. I know when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the alarm goes off in heaven and God hears it. I believe the name of Jesus is the might name by which I can be saved, delivered. I believe Jesus died, buried, and rose again for my sins. Please forgive my sins and shortcomings and save me today. I know in Jesus I have salvation and eternal life. I thank you for hearing me now. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”