Prayer for Family - Tony Nguyen

Passage: 1 Samuel 1:4-11, 17-20 Sermon Notes: Intro: 1. Rhythm of prayer is to dive into deeper intimacy with God in prayer and then responding to it towards the various areas of our lives. 2. We will dive into the area of prayer for our family, through Hannah’s prayer a. Understanding Hannah’s Pain b. Seeing the Change in Her Heart Understanding Hannah’s Pain vs 4-8 1. Hannah’s Pain came from her oppressive culture a. Having Children was a matter of life and death b. Therefore, the pressure on a woman to conceive was enormous c. We still live in an oppressive culture i. Maybe it’s not as family oppressive as it once was, but it’s more individualistically oppressive. 2. The only way to escape the cultural idol system of your particular culture is by having God more important to your heart. Prayer Point: 1. Some of us need to be hearing from God at this moment. For a lot of us comes from collective family culture that puts unbelievable amount of pressure on us. Maybe instead of hating and unforgiving we should be empathetic and forgiving—knowing that they are a product of their culture. 2. Some of us needs to start hearing from God on whether our attitudes and actions towards our family is just another response to a new individualistic culture that’s driving and oppressing us now. Seeing the Change in Her heart vs 9-11 1. Hannah Stood Up a. The word carries with it the connotation, “to take action” b. She wasn’t going to be passive anymore—she rejected what her culture was giving her and turned to the one above the culture. Prayer Point 1. Some of us need to start getting into the rhythm of seeing some of these cultural traps in our home. We need to start hearing what God is saying and start standing up and take some actions in response to God! Hannah’s Prayer 1. Begins by remembering God’s sovereignty and majesty. She’s remembering the goodness of God. 2. Her heart changes 3. She offers her child to the service of the Lord a. The focus of this child was not for her identity but rather for God’s mission. b. She made God’s heart the center of her reason for the child. Prayer Point 1. Maybe today God is telling some of you, your prayers for your family has been too me-centered! 2. Maybe your prayer for your family needs to be where God’s mission is the end goal. Conclusion 1. Jesus’ act of salvation was not a mirror of the forefathers (David, Samuel, Samson etc), it was a mirror of the fore-mothers (Sarah, Leah, Rahab, Ruth). 2. The women showed that Jesus was not just coming King but suffering servant! a. If we are willing to step into suffering for the name and mission of Christ, we have in Jesus the promise of Salvation to a lot of people!