Out of the Abundance of Your Complaint or Gratitude of Your Heart?

1 Samuel 1:16(NKJV)

16Do not consider your maidservant a wicked£ woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

In this passage Hannah, one of the wives of Eli, is troubled because she has never been able to conceive.  The reason this troubles her is that Eli's other wife has given him many children and uses that fact to torment Hannah. 

Because of this Hannah is always praying to God "out of the abundance of her complaint and grief." 

Isn't that how many of us initially come to the Lord?  We've hit upon hard times.  We've hit a low point in our lives and we are drawn to God looking for help.  Those of us that have accepted Jesus understand just how great that help can be. 

Well God heard Hannah's distress and answered her prayer.  The answer to her prayer was the birth of Samuel.  The answer to her prayer was a faith builder for her.  Take a look at this next verse.

1 Samuel 2:1(NKJV)

1And Hannah prayed and said:      “My heart rejoices in the Lord;     My £horn is exalted in the Lord.     I smile at my enemies,     Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Her prayers are now filled with an attitude of gratitude. 

I would like to offer this up as a reminder to all of us who have accepted Christ to always go to Him with gratitude in your heart.  Still let him know what you need.  But don't let Him know "out of your abundance of complaint", let Him know with a positive expectation the He is on it and it is being taken care of as I wrote about the other day.

By doing it that way you are demonstrating to Jesus your growing faith in His willingness to directly intervene and guide your life!