1 Samuel 1:19 (NKJV)

“Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord…And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.”

Faith is insufficient without accompanying action. Where faith stands alone, our faith is incomplete. Worship is incomplete without accompanying action. Worship must be followed by a practical demonstration of our heart of worship. Many times, we pray and seek God’s face but then turn around to do nothing more or do things that negate our prayers and worship. Prayer requires affirmative and corresponding action as not every action actually supports and testifies to our faith. Wrong actions cancel prayer.

After Hannah had received the inward evidence that God had heard her, she went ahead to worship God, and then presented herself to her husband for physical intercourse. For Elkanah, it was routine business; but for Hannah, it was faith in action. She knew that she needed to ‘do something’ for her faith to become a reality. Correct action enhances and enables prayer. So let’s not just pray and worship. Let’s get into the business of doing those things that will validate and empower our prayers. That is real faith.

“Lord, may my actions not invalidate my prayers. I know that I sometimes do things that negate what I had prayed for, and I now pray for the strength to only do those things that are born of faith, and that confirms my faith. Amen.”