S154P7 – Sincerity in prayer: Manoah
Jgs. 13:8-11
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.”
Many parents want their children to accomplish great things in this world. For those who love and follow the Lord, they want their children to do great things for him. Imagine being given a promise that seems to have come from the Lord himself telling you that He has something great for your child to do. Imagine hearing of that promise yet not hearing the promise itself. I would wager that most people would have some questions, especially if the promise seems impossible. That was the position in which Manoah found himself. His wife told him that she had received such a message, but there was a problem. The promise from God that she would have a son came with the reality that she was barren.
Manoah knew he had a responsibility in the process, and he needed to know what that was. Not only had the Lord promised a child to him and his barren wife, but that child was to begin the process of liberating Israel from the Philistines. To raise this child and to do it well came with epic consequences. Manoah’s prayer comes from a man who wants to make sure he does whatever is necessary for this promise to be fulfilled. He does not want to stand in the way of his son accomplishing such great things for God and his people. Manoah could have thanked God for the promise and stopped there. Instead, he sought direction and instruction to do his part and do it well.
I think we can learn a lot about ourselves by how we respond to God when He calls us to something great. Some might thank God, sit back and wait for the promise to be fulfilled like magic. Others might get anxious and nervous because the job seems too big. I would hope that my response would be like that of Manoah, excited yet deliberate. God works in partnership with us, so it only makes sense to ask what our role is. And perhaps He is just looking for us to want to participate in the process with him. Father, help us to pray with the same attitude as Manoah, desiring to work with You in the fulfillment of your promises and to do that work well.