How To Persevere Like Hannah
Message Moments & Highlights
Don’t Let Pain Silence Your Prayers
Hannah didn’t let her pain shut her down—she let it lead her deeper into God’s presence. She kept praying, kept hoping, and kept enduring because she knew who her God was and where her help came from. This kind of faith doesn’t deny pain—it brings it to the One who can carry it. In moments of silence, sorrow, or struggle, let your heart be drawn nearer, not further. Like Hannah, hold fast to the confident hope of your salvation.
Keep Believing Through the Silence
God doesn’t work within our limits—we often place limits on Him. Ps Alex reminds us that we serve a God of the impossible, a God who makes a way when there is no way. His plans for us are always good, even when we can’t see the full picture. If your situation isn’t good yet, then He’s not finished. Like Hannah, we’re called to trust—not because we know every step, but because we know the One who leads. This is where our faith rises and our hope is anchored.
Give God the Glory, Not Just Requests
Hannah’s story reminds us that true surrender means trusting God not just for the blessing, but with the blessing. Her prayer wasn’t centred on personal gain—it was an offering of trust. "If You bless me," she said, "I will give it back to You." This is the kind of faith that honours God above all else. It says, “Your will, not mine.” In a world that clings tightly to what it receives, Hannah let go. She believed that God’s plan was better than hers—and she lived like it.
Will You Persevere or Give Up?
What does it take to pray like Hannah? Ps Alex invites us to examine the deeper questions of faith—how we respond when God seems silent, what we do with what He’s already entrusted to us, and where in our lives we need to persevere. True faith doesn’t give up in the storm. It leans in, seeks God’s guidance, and gives Him glory no matter the outcome.
How To Persevere Like Hannah
In “How to Persevere Like Hannah,” Ps Alex shares an encouraging message drawn from 1 Samuel 1, focusing on the quiet strength, deep faith, and enduring prayer life of a woman who refused to give up. Delivered on Mother’s Day, the sermon speaks to anyone who has experienced delayed hopes, unanswered prayers, or silent seasons in their spiritual journey.
Ps Alex outlines three key lessons from Hannah’s life: she didn’t let pain silence her prayer; she kept believing even when heaven seemed quiet; and she gave God the glory—not just the request. Hannah’s unwavering faith, expressed through years of heartache and surrender, becomes a blueprint for how we too can press on when life feels overwhelming.
Interwoven with personal testimony, humour, and honest reflection, the message also reminds us that God often does His greatest work in the hidden, painful places. When we persevere like Hannah, we make room for God’s strength to carry us and His plans to unfold in ways greater than we imagined.
This sermon calls us not to isolate or lose heart, but to draw near to God—trusting that He hears, He sees, and He is shaping something beautiful through our faith-filled endurance.
Related Bible Verses
📖 1. Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.5.3-5.NLT
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
📖 2. 1 Samuel 1:12-14 (NLT)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/116/1sa.1.12-14.NLT
“As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!””
📖 3. Psalms 121:1-8 (NLT)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.121.1-8.NLT
“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”
📖 4. 1 Samuel 1:7 (NLT)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/116/1sa.1.7.NLT
“Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.”
📖 5. 1 Samuel 1:11 (ESV)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.1.11.ESV
“And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.””
📖 6. 1 Samuel 1:19-20 (ESV)
🔗 Read on Bible.com: https://bible.com/bible/59/1sa.1.19-20.ESV
“They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.””
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How to Persevere Through Life's Challenges: Lessons from Hannah's Story
Hannah's story provides powerful lessons about maintaining faith and perseverance through difficult seasons. Despite years of struggling with infertility and facing mockery from others, Hannah's unwavering faith and persistence offer valuable insights for handling our own challenges.
What Does it Mean to Persevere in Faith?
True perseverance means continuing to move forward despite difficulties or delays. Hannah demonstrated this through three key actions that we can learn from:
Don't Let Pain Silence Your Prayers
Hannah refused to let her pain and circumstances keep her from crying out to God. Even when facing deep anguish and shame, she continued bringing her requests before the Lord with passionate prayer. Rather than suffering in silence, she took her pain to the only one who could truly help.
Keep Believing Through the Silence
Year after year, with no answer to her prayers, Hannah maintained her faith. She continued worshipping and believing God even when there was no visible evidence her situation would change. This consistency despite emotional pain demonstrated remarkable faith during silent seasons.
Give God the Glory, Not Just Requests
Hannah prayed with surrender, not just desire. She vowed to dedicate her future son back to God's service - showing she wanted God's glory more than her own fulfillment. Her prayers focused on honoring God rather than just receiving what she wanted.
What Can We Learn from Hannah's Example?
Hannah's story teaches us several important principles:
God's delays are often preparation for something greater
Perseverance develops character and strengthens faith
We must trust God's plan even when we don't understand
True surrender means holding loosely to God's blessings
Life Application
Consider these questions this week:
What pain or circumstances are silencing your prayers?
How do you respond when God seems silent?
Are you willing to surrender your desires for God's glory?
Challenge: Choose one area where you're struggling to persevere. Commit to bringing it before God daily in prayer this week, focusing not just on your request but on trusting His plan and timing. Remember that like Hannah, your faithful perseverance could impact generations to come.
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A discussion guide for the sermon can be found here.
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Good morning, church. My name's Alex. For those that don't know me, I hope that I get to meet you at some stage. If we haven't met yet, what a Beautiful sense of the Lord's presence in this place. Hey, I'm a little bit of a mess.
I have a bit of like a red nose and some runny eyes because I was just so undone in the presence of God this morning. It was just so beautiful and just got me, you know, sometimes it just gets you. Hey. And that's what you want because it's so beautiful, it's so satisfying, it's so fulfilling, and it's like nothing else. Do you believe that?
Church? Yeah. Come on. We're going to have an amazing morning. First of all, I just want to say a big happy Mother's Day to all our mothers.
Give a big shout out to all our moms in the house this morning. You know what? You could have chosen to be anywhere this morning celebrating Mother's Day with your family, but you chose to be here. So thank you for being here today, and I hope that you're blessed by the word of God this morning. You know, we moms know a little bit about perseverance, right?
Yeah. Come on, who's a mom in the house? Yeah, we know a little bit about perseverance. Look what we do to bring a precious life into the world. Look at what we do to grow a family, to raise a family, to take care of a family.
Take me, for example. I'm growing a life right now and I'm still doing all the other things that I was doing before, like the washing the dishes, taking care of my three children, two little ones and one big one. I'm just kidding. I married to Pastor Fua, who was on the keys. You were.
Probably have seen him up here a few times. He's not my third child. I was just kidding. Still doing all those things while dealing with sore backs, headaches, cravings, and appointments. The appointments, wow, the appointments are something else these days.
Very thankful for our healthcare system in this country. But they just like to check every little thing, which is probably a good thing. I shouldn't complain, but. But you know, we women, we do all those things and we continue to press on, don't we? We continue to persevere.
We continue to preach. Come on. Preaching a double this weekend, last night and tonight. Come on. If that's not perseverance, then I don't know what is.
I remember actually the first time I preached here on a Sunday morning was earlier this year in January, and I was about eight weeks pregnant and I had severe morning sickness. Like it was pretty bad. Justin actually picked me up. Shout out to Justin. He picked me up again this Morning because he lives around the corner, so he's like our chauffeur, I guess.
And I was so sick the whole car ride here. I was trying my best not to, like, vomit in his car. And also, no one knew at the time. So I'm trying to hide the fact that I'm pregnant and sick and trying not to throw up in someone else's car. That wouldn't have been very nice.
So thank you, Justin, for picking me up. And. And I held it together somehow. But that is what we women of God do. Hey, come on.
We push through. We press on. We persevere. You are welcome. For an Adrienne.
You are welcome. You get the day off today because I'm up here. Narelle was leading this morning. Another mother of the house, Shani, as well, from Casey, was helping lead as well. And our beautiful moms, who are putting on our deluxe morning tea to bless you all afterwards as well.
Big shout out to them and all their efforts today. Who's ready for the word in this place? Come on. We're just going to pray, and then we're going to get into it. Lord God, we just thank you for this opportunity that we have to gather around your word today, God, we just ask for open and expectant hearts, hearts that are just ready to receive your words today, God, we just ask for fresh encounter, fresh revelation.
Speak to us afresh. Lord God, this morning, what is it that you're wanting us to take from your word this morning and put into action in our life? I pray that we do that when we leave this place in Jesus name and everybody said amen. Amen. All right, if you have your Bibles in this place, we're going to look at Romans 5, verse 3 to 4, reading from the new living translation, and here's what it says.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance, and endurance helps us develop strength of character. And character strengthens our confidence, confident hope of salvation. Who's heard that verse before? It's quite well known. Hey, it is a powerful verse.
It's kind of a confusing verse, too, because how can you rejoice in suffering? It's strange, isn't it? I really believe that this verse is saying that we can find purpose in our suffering, knowing that it produces things like perseverance. It strengthens our faith. It leads to a deeper hope in God.
You know, we don't go through trials for no reason. Church, they are worth it because of the pain, because of what the pain can produce. You know, I'm reminded when I read that of what a mum goes through during childbirth, what she goes through during labor, and the amount of pain that she must endure to bring her beautiful baby into the world. But we do it, don't we? Because it is so worth it.
The pain is so worth it. And there is a woman in the Bible that I want to look at today that is willing to go through that kind of pain. And that woman is Hannah. I want to look at what Hannah did in her life when times got tough, when everything seemed to be against her. How did she respond?
How did she react? I believe that we can all here learn a lot from her story. So I've titled my message today how to Persevere Like Hannah. Are you ready? Who knows the story of Hannah?
Yeah, a few of you. Beautiful. Well, we're going to look into that a little bit today. So for those of you that don't know, Hannah was married to a man called Alkinah. Now, Alkinah had two wives, and Hannah and Peninnah.
While Hannah had no children, Peninnah had many. Now, it was a big shame back in this time not to have children. And Peninnah would mock Hannah because of it. She would taunt her. She would bully her year after year, causing her deep sorrow.
But despite her pain, Hannah continued to go to God and pray for a child. So how do we persevere like Hannah? Well, let's look at what Hannah did in her life. The first thing that we see is that she didn't let her pain silence her prayer. She didn't let anything stop her from spending time with God.
Hannah didn't let her circumstances, her pain, silenced her voice before the Lord. She knew that God was the only one that could help, so she sought after him.
Now, Hannah's pain must have been so great. So back in that day, it was a big shame, as I mentioned, to not have children. It was seen as God withholding his blessing. Even like there was something wrong with you, you were looked down upon. She would have felt guilt.
She would have felt shame. She would have felt judgment from others going, well, there's something wrong with her because she can't have children. It was one of the things that set a woman apart back then was to have children. That was one of their primary roles, was to be able to have a family and take care of a family. She would have felt not good enough, not worthy enough to be a mother.
But you know what? These things didn't stop Hannah. These things didn't silence her. In 1 Samuel, chapter 1, verse 10, it says Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. Verse 12 to 14, it says, as she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her.
Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sounds, he thought that she'd been drinking. He said, must you come in here drunk? He demanded. Throw away your wine, woman. I added in the woman.
He probably didn't say that she prayed with so much anguish, though people thought that she was drunk. Can you imagine that when you see a drunk person? They're a bit all over the place, aren't they? Like they're slurring their words, they can't walk straight. They don't have it all together.
So she prayed with so much passion and so much anguish that people thought that she was drunk. But you know what? I don't believe that Hannah's barrenness was a punishment, but rather a preparation. If Hannah had not been barren, she may not have sought the Lord so deeply.
You know, what sometimes can feel like a delay or a denial from God might actually be a divine positioning for something greater, just like it was for Hannah. And we'll get there. You know, Hannah wasn't the first woman that we see in the Bible to suffer with infertility. First there was Sarah, wife of Abraham. Then Rebecca, wife of Isaac.
Rachel, wife of Jacob. However, Hannah's response was profoundly different from theirs. She took her pain to the only one that she knew could alleviate it, and that was God. Come on, Church, don't we need to do that more? Instead of suffering in silence, instead of trying to do everything in our own strength, we need to take it to God, don't we?
Because it's not too big for Him. Do you believe that in Psalms 121, verse 1 to 8, it says, I look up to the mountains. Does My help come from there? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let you stumble.
The One who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you. The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. You know, I love this verse because that's exactly who our God is, isn't He? He's constant in our life. He's a constant help.
He's constantly caring. He's constantly Watching over us. He's constantly protecting. Even if we don't see it, even if we don't feel it, he is. That's who he is.
And that's exactly what that verse says. And I believe you know, when Hannah continued to pray and hope and endure, she continued to seek God in her pain because she had a confident hope in her salvation. She knew who. Where God was and where her help came from. She didn't let her pain silence her prayer.
She let it draw her nearer, closer to God.
Church. Can I ask you this morning? What pains in your life right now are silencing your prayer? Are silencing your voice before the Lord?
What areas in your life need a prayer like Hannah's?
You know, to be honest, most of us probably would have given up after years and years of going through the same thing. We would have stopped praying. We would have stopped asking the Lord because the weight of our circumstance would have just been too great to handle. But in Christ, we can persevere. Amen.
So that is the first thing. She did not let her pain silence her prayer. The second thing we see that Hannah does in her story is she keeps believing through the silence.
So even after years and years of not hearing from God, with no answer, with no child, with no indication that her prayer would be answered, Hannah continued to go to the temple and pray and worship. This consistency, despite her emotional pain, was a sign of her faith in the silence. She was believing for something greater. In verse seven, it says year after year, it was the same for Hannah. Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the tabernacle.
Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not eat. Can you imagine feeling that much pain year after year that you were reduced to tears? So much so that you wouldn't eat. And someone who should have been a close friend would taunt you, would bully you, would pick out your faults and your flaws.
Yet Hannah kept on showing up. In our hardships and our struggles, do we continue to show up for God?
Hannah kept on worshipping.
In our shame and our doubt, do we continue to worship the Lord?
Hannah kept on believing. She never gave up. She kept going. She kept persevering.
Four of my girls have been persevering the last few days.
They've been believing for something the last few days. The last three days, they have been chasing a mouse around our house. I know. Gross, right? Yeah.
So our house is literally like a fortress at the moment. Like, I should have taken photos. There's barricades, there's traps Everywhere there's like pieces of wood, like blocking walls and doors so this mouse couldn't get out. It's literally been turned upside down, mattresses upside down to try and find this mouse is hiding. And the weapons of choice now you'll find this interesting.
A broom, tongs, pots, pot lids, wood, plastic bags, and cheese. Don't forget the cheese. Now, every morning when four and the girls wake up, they go and check to see if they've caught this mouse. They go and check the traps every morning. Nothing.
But that doesn't stop them. They regroup, they debrief, and then they strategize a new plan of how they're going to catch this mouse.
They're not fussed about the mouse during the day so much, but they are worried about the mouse at night. In the silence. Where is this mouse? What is it doing? You know, they don't in fact worry that the mouse has clearly outsmarted them.
They don't let it get to them. They continue to press on. They continue to endure. They continue to persevere, and they continue to believe that they will catch it. That's the kind of attitude that we need in all areas of life.
Even when it comes to catching a rodent in your house. I do have some good news. The story did end well after some help from Vijay. Where's Vijay at? My nephew who came to stay the night last night.
I should have taken a video, actually. So I was actually sitting there in the lounge just going over my message for today, and I was like, oh, my gosh. I saw it. It ran past, right? He's like, okay, that's it.
It's time he calls Vijay. They get up, they go into the room, barricade this new room. They're trying to find this mouth. All I hear is screaming and squealing. That was fua, not vj.
So scared of this tiny little mo. I can say this morning that we were successful in trapping the mouse and the mouse will no longer be a problem in our house. Thank you, Jesus. But that's what it takes, doesn't it? Church perseverance.
Most people probably would have given up. They probably would have stopped. They probably would have called in like a pest control person. I don't know what they're called or just been like, this is just too hard. Why me?
Why now? Isn't this the mentality of the world, though? We give up too easily. If it doesn't make you happy or if it's too hard, just throw it away. Don't worry about it.
But perseverance is doing something despite difficulty or delay. You know, we tend to give up when it gets too hard. We pull back. We isolate. We isolate ourselves from others and from God, which is one of the worst things that you can do.
We forget that God's plan for us is bigger, isn't it? It's greater. It's more than we can even begin to imagine. It says this in Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.
They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
What are your big dreams and visions that you're believing for this year? Church.
What is God speaking to you about your future, the plans for your life?
We don't serve a limitless God, do we, Church? We serve a God of the impossible who can make a way when there is no way. And a lot of the time, we are the ones who put a limit on him because we're not thinking big enough. We don't think that his plans for us are big enough or are great enough.
But his plans for us are good. His future for us is good. And if it is not good, then he is not done with us. Do you believe that? Come on.
This is where our hope and our faith kick in. I really believe that Hannah has a deep and personal understanding of God's plan in her heart. She may not have known all the details, but she knew who her God was. That's why she didn't give up. Even if it meant no children for her, she continued to press on.
She continued to endure. She continued to have faith, and she continued to believe.
So the first thing we see is that Hannah doesn't let her pain silence her prayer. The second thing is she keeps believing through the silence. And the third thing that Hannah does is she gives God the glory, not just the request.
You know, Hannah prayed with surrender, not just desire. She trusted that God was the only one that could help her. Her vow to dedicate her son was an offering. Hannah honored the Lord by dedicating her son says in verse 11, Hannah made this vow. O Lord of heaven's armies, will you look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son.
Then I will give him back to you. He will be yours his entire lifetime. And as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.
You know, we don't need to offer God anything in return. He doesn't need anything from us. But this is what makes Hannah different to everybody else. She brought an Offering to the Lord. Even in her pain, even in her suffering, she offers what is most valuable to her.
You know, I remember when Fuurah and I first got married, and my prayers were very mature. I was very mature. Just so you know, they were to change him.
Why?
Because it was getting on my nerves. He was one of those people that was, like, good at everything.
Yet he would leave, like, his dirty clothes, like, right next to the basket in the bathroom or in the laundry. He would leave dirty dishes, like in the sink, like, if you use a cup, just, like, quickly wash it and then no one else has to do it, you know? Or he would forget to ask me if I wanted a hot drink when he was making one for. For himself.
Ladies, come on. You know what I mean, right? These are some serious issues. These are some silly things in relationships, in marriages, but if I can be honest with you, without God in our marriage, we wouldn't be here today. Marriage is hard, especially in the early days when you just start living together as well, trying to figure each other out.
You're bringing your own. Your own cultures, your own baggage in. We've had our fair share of hardships, situations that have tested our marriage. We're not perfect. We had challenges around culture, especially coming from two different cultured backgrounds, trying to blend that together and figure out how we're going to create this new culture, you know, now that.
That we're married, what is that going to look like? In these moments of struggle? I prayed, I cried out to God. I became a little bit more wise in how I prayed. God, help me to understand why these things are getting to me, why they're affecting me, why am I reacting this way?
I know they're not a big deal, but help me to understand the root cause. You know, I really had to humble myself before God and ask him to change my heart and not change my husband. I had to give him the glory and remember why he brought us together, that he must have brought us together for a reason. I had to surrender these issues and how I felt to him.
And the more I persevered, the more I surrendered. The more Hannah persevered, the more she surrendered. It says, if you will look upon my face, if you look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you.
How Hannah prays shows us that she wanted God to be glorified more than her own personal fulfillment or her own personal desire. This was an offering of trust. She was saying, if you bless me, I won't hold tightly to this blessing. I will return the blessing to you because it is not mine. It is yours, Lord.
Hannah trusted that God's plan was better than her.
And after this she went and worshiped as she always did, believing that God had answered her prayer.
In verse 19 to 20 it says the entire family got up early the next morning and went and worshiped the Lord once more. They then returned home to Ramah where Elkinah slept with Hannah. The Lord remembered her plea and in due time she gave birth to a son. Son. She named him Samuel, for she said, I asked the Lord for him.
Again. Hannah honored the Lord by naming her son Samuel. The name Samuel means God has heard because she knew that God had heard her prayer.
You know, Hannah's perseverance and her faithfulness led to Samuel, who went on to impact entire nations for generations. Who is remembered as one of the most faithful and powerful leaders in Israel's history. Samuel, the one who heard from God.
Come on, we need more modern day Hannah's to rise up, don't we Church to persevere no matter the circumstance. We need more faith filled Hannahs to rise up and pray not only for themselves, for those around them. We need more vulnerable Hannahs to share their story, to encourage, to uplift and to inspire others.
You guys know a lot about Fua because she's up here all the time sharing. He shared a lot about me too. Most of it's not true, only the good things, but a little bit about me. I've been in this church now for almost 13 years.
I'm having my third child born into this church.
I've had my fair share of struggles. One of those postnatal depression, in lockdown with my second child. Hence why there's such a big gap, gap between number two and number three.
Gone through the loss of family members and friends, struggled with self comparison, self doubt, feeling unworthy, not being good enough, not being smart enough, fear of public speaking, legit a big one. And you know, in the midst of all of that, God calls me to then go and do Bible college and then he calls me to become a pastor. I remember the day that Pastor Adrian called me and asked me to take over youth and be the youth pastor for a season. I was like, are you sure you've called the right person? You know this is Alex, right?
He's like, I know, I know, I prayed about it. Yes, I'm calling the right person. God has spoken to me, me and God. You know what? God had already prepared my heart.
He had already been equipping me for the next season that I was to step into. And that's because I continued to persevere. I continued to serve. Even through my struggles, even through the hard times. I continued to seek God.
I continued to worship Him. And you know, the only thing that kept me going all those years was God. Nothing else. No one else.
It was years of me crying out and praying like Hannah. Years of me believing that God had called me for a purpose. Years of giving everything to God, surrendering it to him and going, God, I'm going to serve you with my life.
You know, whether you're a mother or a father, a daughter, a brother, in this place today, we all go through life the same.
We make mistakes, we get it wrong, we miss things, we have outbursts, we have our moments. We take it out on others. But we are not in it alone. Do you believe that? We're in it together.
Hey, Church. And you know what? We never know what God has in store or how he will use our story to impact others. How he will use our lives to serve Him.
Let me ask you today in this place, what are you willing to go through before you pray like Hannah?
Who are you when God doesn't answer?
What will you do with what God has given you and what areas in your life need perseverance today?
You know, you might not be able to answer all those things right now.
Think about them, sit on them, go to God and ask for his help, for his guidance. You know, we need to persevere together. We need to not let our pain silence our prayer or our voice before the Lord. We need to keep believing, even through the silence. And we need to continue to give God the glory no matter how we're feeling, no matter our circumstance, no matter the storm.
So this morning, we're going to worship. And as we worship, we're going to cry out for God. We're going to cry out and ask God to give us the spirit of perseverance, the spirit of endurance, to press on, to keep going when times get tough, to remember that he is with us every step of the way, that he is where our help comes from. Do you believe that? Come on, we're going to stand in this place.
We're going to stretch out our hands as a sign of surrender to him. And we're going to say, God, we need you. We can't do it without you, God, we need your strength. We need your confidence. We need your spirit to fill us afresh right now in this moment.
We can't do it without you. God, we want to be mighty men and women of God that step into the call that you have for our life. But we need you. We need you. Come on, church, let's sing this out.
Christ alone Come on. You lift your hands Cornerstone who we made strong in the Savior's love through the storm he am lost.
Come on. Do you believe that that through the storm he is Lord let's declare this over our life. Christ alone Cornerstone we made strong in the savior's love through the stor he is Lord Lord of all Christ alone Christ alone Call us soul who we break strong in the Savior's love through the storm he is Lord Lord of all Come on. Do you believe that he is the Lord, Lord of all? That he is the Lord over your circumstances, that he is the Lord over your situations, over how you are feeling.
God, we just thank you that you are Lord over our life. You are Lord and savior. God, that you have already won the victory, that you have already won the battle over every storm that we will face that we have faced. God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for stories like Hannah that can inspire, that can motivate, that can remind us of who you are and the people that you've called us to be.
God, we ask right now for a fresh feeling of the spirit, of perseverance, God, to help us to get through, to help us to continue to press on so we don't stop, so we don't isolate, so we don't pull back from you, but rather step in. Because we know that in your strength, we can do everything that you have called us to do. So, God, we thank you that it is in your strength, through your power, and with your spirit, that we can step into the calling that you have on our life. Because we know that your plans are greater, that your plans are higher, that they are more than we can even begin to think or imagine. So, God, right now we ask this in your name.
We pray a blessing upon every person that is here in this place. And if you're in this place this morning, and perseverance is something that you struggle with, then we're going to open up this altar this morning. And if you want prayer, further prayer, our pastors would love to just pray with you, to intercede with you, because we believe that our God can do anything. Amen. He is the God of the impossible.
We serve a limitless God, and he is always working. And when we declare his name, like Pastor Michael said, mountains must move, the enemy must flee. So we're going to Declare his name, and we're going to pray for this in Jesus name. If you want prayer, I encourage you to come up. But we thank you for being here today, Church.
You know, I hope that you were blessed by the word of God this morning. And I pray that it was a little seed inside your heart or inside your spirit. And it was a reminder, even for those that know the story, that perseverance can be powerful. Thanks, Church.
Now, why don't we give Alex a hand this morning? Wasn't that awesome?
You know what I love about our church and the people in it? Everyone who you see on this stage, you know, we've got to watch. Weird, sort of. It's a funny thing, isn't it? I mean, we're used to it.
If you come to church, but you got people up on stage sort of preaching and tea and leading, I go, we're all just like, we're going through the same stuff. And when you watch people who are doing that, the same issues that we all face in life, they face. And people like Alex, you know, didn't want to preach, didn't want to be a pastor, you know, and yet God spoke to her and challenged her, and she grabbed ahold of it in faith. Faith. And, you know, if she.
If he can do it through Alex, if he can do it through me, through Fua, through Narelle, through these guys, Josh and D, Joel and others up here, Marcus and others, then he can do it through any of us. And can I encourage you, you know what? God's stirring right now. Grab a hold of the promises of God that he's stirring in your heart. What are you believing God for?
Like Alex said, And keep a hold of that. Keep a hold of that. We are going to have this altar open. If you'd like some prayer, say. Because you say, you know what I need?
I need help. I want some prayer because I'm believing for things, for my children, my grandchildren, my future. Then come up and we'll pray for you. For everyone else, we're going to have morning tea. If you are coming in, you say, you know what?
I want to pursue my relationship with Jesus. I want to give my heart to the Lord. We're going to pray right now and say a prayer for that. We got Bibles out there, like Michael said, a free Bible that you can grab. We want to help you in your journey.
You can come and do the Alpha course starting this Wednesday, and God's got a plan for you. Can we say a prayer? And if you want to say, lord, I want to rededicate my life to you. I want to follow you. We're going to say this together.
And if you're visiting today, that's all it takes, just saying, Jesus, I want to follow you. I believe in you and I'm going to pursue this journey. Let's bow our heads and we're going to pray right now. If you want to say this prayer, you say the words after me. We're all going to say it together because we're all in this together.
Let's do it. Dear Lord Jesus, I want to give my life to you today. I believe that you're the Son of God and you died on the cross for my sin. And you rose again from the dead. Forgive me, Jesus.
I give my life to you. Be my Lord and my Savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen.
God's got a plan for you. You believe that. Lord, in this place right now, I pray for every person I pray. Why don't you just put before God what you're believing for? God wants to restore.
He wants to restore dreams and visions and faith in people's hearts. Lord, the things we're believing for, like Hannah, that you've put on our heart, not wants, but things that you've put on our heart. Lord God, we bring them to you. God, and we ask you to stir our faith. We ask you, God, to help us believe.
For the salvation of our children, the salvation of our loved ones. Lord Jesus, God, that they'll come back to you. You that you'll guide them. Lord God, for breakthroughs. God, that we can't see in the natural.
Lord, we bring them to you and we're believing in faith. I'm praying for young people that they're going to have rise up in faith and be the man or woman of God. He's called you to be. The dream is put on your heart. If it's of God, he will bring it to pass.
Trust him and believe him. We believe for that. In Jesus name everyone said Amen. God bless you guys. We love you.
We love all our mums. Have a great day. We can pray for you up here as you need.