Topical Bible: Children: Often Given in Answer to Prayer

◄ Children: Often Given in Answer to Prayer ►

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In the biblical narrative, children are frequently depicted as blessings from God, often granted in response to fervent prayer. The Scriptures provide numerous accounts where God answers the heartfelt petitions of His people by granting them the gift of children, underscoring the belief in divine providence and the power of prayer.

Hannah and Samuel

One of the most poignant examples is the account of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Hannah was deeply distressed by her inability to conceive and earnestly prayed to the Lord for a child. In 1 Samuel 1:10-11 , it is recorded, "In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. And she made a vow, pleading, 'O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.'" God heard Hannah's prayer, and she bore a son, Samuel, who would become a significant prophet and leader in Israel.

Isaac, the Child of Promise

The birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah is another testament to God answering prayer with the gift of a child. Despite their advanced age and Sarah's barrenness, God promised Abraham that he would have a son. Genesis 21:1-2 states, "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him." Isaac's birth was a fulfillment of God's promise and a direct answer to the prayers and faith of Abraham and Sarah.

Rachel and Joseph

Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, also experienced the blessing of a child in response to prayer. Initially barren, Rachel envied her sister Leah, who had borne Jacob several children. In Genesis 30:22-23 , it is written, "Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, and she conceived and bore a son, and she said, 'God has taken away my disgrace.'" Rachel named her son Joseph, who would later play a crucial role in the history of Israel.

Elizabeth and John the Baptist

In the New Testament, the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth is another example of a child given in answer to prayer. Both were righteous before God but advanced in years and childless. Luke 1:13 records the angel's message to Zechariah: "But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.'" John the Baptist would become the forerunner of Jesus Christ, preparing the way for the Lord.

Manoah and Samson

The account of Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson, also illustrates this theme. Judges 13:2-3 recounts, "Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. The Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold, you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.'" Samson was born as a result of divine intervention and would become a judge of Israel.

These accounts reflect a consistent biblical theme: children are a heritage from the Lord, often granted in response to the sincere prayers of the faithful. They serve as reminders of God's faithfulness and His ability to bring life and hope where there was once barrenness and despair.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 25:21
And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 1:27
For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 1:13
But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Discerning Prayer.
... There can be no loftier exercise of soul ever given to created intelligence than
to come into conscious contact with the ... Often God's children are driven ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/discerning prayer.htm

Prayer Taught and Encouraged.
... [The form given by Matthew ... and I have nothing to set before him [In the summer Orientals
often travel by ... me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxxxvi prayer taught and encouraged.htm

A God-Given Field (1894-1900)
... what we could with the strength that was given us. ... The answer to this prayer, as
is often the case ... was wrong because of the danger of infection to the children. ...
/.../goforth/how i know god answers prayer/iv a god-given field 1894-1900.htm

The Ministration of the Spirit and Prayer
... know how to give good gifts to your children; how much ... and the ministry of the word."
It is often said, and ... the two, that when the Spirit is given in answer to ...
/.../murray/the ministry of intercession/chapter ii the ministration of.htm

The Faith of Little Children.
... the agony of beholding his wife and children starving to ... and told him, more as my
mother had often told me ... with some simple directions, that were given more to ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/the faith of little children.htm

The Heart's Desire Given to Help Mission Work in China.
... also to gather stubble, as no straw was given them any ... even now the children of God
are often in greater ... may be that few, comparatively, of the children of God ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/muller/answers to prayer/the hearts desire given to.htm

Prayer Answered, Love Nourished
... you have not realized the miracle of the children of Israel in ... How often have these
necessities come upon you? ... me over; I shall not have my bread given me, nor ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/prayer answered love nourished.htm

The British Bayonet.
... long is it since you had a direct answer to prayer? ... as did Jeroboam, of whom it is
said often he "made ... Let those of us to whom God has given children, use our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xliv the british bayonet.htm

Man's Difficulty Concerning Prayer.
... Alas, how differently is the tale often received ... To his bosom God himself cannot
bring his children at once, and not at ... Still, could not God have given the gift ...
/.../macdonald/unspoken sermons/mans difficulty concerning prayer.htm

The Story of one Furlough (1908-1910)
... my letter arrived they both had been given assurance that a ... and other places, word
came that the children's Sunday-school ... Yet sad, sad is it that often at just ...
/.../goforth/how i know god answers prayer/vii the story of one.htm