Labels: Sermon
1 Sam 1:10
The key to fruitfulness is the travail of the soul. Hannah didn’t come to God with a lackadaisical attitude. She came before the Lord with a heavy burden and a holy dissatisfaction, crying desperately and wailing with anguish. Her soul was going through pain and agony. Just like a mother travails as she goes through childbirth, Hannah went through a “birthing” in her spirit.
Every revival is born out of very intense prayer. Today, six of the 10 largest churches in the world are found in one country – South Korea. Yet, South Korea went through much devastation during the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. At the turn of the 20th century, Korean Christians were greatly persecuted. Many were incarcerated and martyred. In the midst of their tribulation, the Korean believers cried out to the Lord for revival. There was travailing prayer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The result of that was a mighty revival that swept through the land after the Korean War. Christians pooled whatever little resources they had to build schools, hospitals and churches. Correspondingly, God blessed the country. Today, South Korea is one of the most advanced nations and powerful economies on the world. It has become a fruitful nation.
Referring to Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in such agony as He prayed that His sweat become like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44). Out of Christ’s travail came forth a glorious Church! May we grieve over the unfruitfulness in our lives and churches. May we come before the Lord in pain and brokenness, crying: “Lord, please remove the reproach of barrenness from my life. Make me a productive person for the kingdom.” Let’s become “Hannahs” before the Lord, desperate to see fruitfulness in our lives.