Extreme Situations, Extreme Measures

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
1 Samuel 1:10‭-‬11 KJV

When Hannah discovered that she was bitter against her sister, she did what every serious minded child of God should do. She allowed her bitterness to drive her to her knees. Bitterness is a very destructive emotion. Adrain Rogers says, ” The seed of bitterness is a hurt that is planted in someone. It may be intentional or unintentional”. It is a satanic arrow to keep you bound. Rogers continues, ” The soil of bitterness is a heart that harbors hostility and does not deal with hurt by the grace of God. When someone becomes bitter, the bitterness takes root in the heart and grows deeper.” The beauty of Hannah is her ability to let her pain drive her unto God in prayers. Where does your pain drive you? Then she vowed a vow. On June 19th, we dealt with Jepthah’s vow, where we explained the implications of vows. Please read the vignette. In Hannah’s vow, she gave her request for a male child unto God. We have mentioned this in one of our books that God was in need of a prophet, and she was in need of a son. When your needs align with God’s, answers are easy. That is why you should have the right word before you begin to pray. God did not just hear her prayers, God did whàt bitterness could not do. Remember that extreme measures demand extreme prayers.