Hannah’s Prayer

Today in my weekly Bible study we began the book of Samuel. Hannah was Samuel’s mother.

Like Hannah, we face difficult challenges and seasons in life. Hannah was unable to have children but she prayed diligently in seeking God in prayer. If we dig into her story there is a lesson we can learn.

God answered Hannah’s prayer. What can we learn about the way she prayed to get God to give her a child.

First of all she was persistent in Prayer. Hannah was barren and is dealing with her husband Elkanah’s second wife Peninnah taunting her for not having children (1 Samuel 1:2). Hannah was angry with God and cried before the Lord. Despite the difficult circumstances she faced, Hannah persistently prayed to God.

1 Samuel 1:13 says that she kept on praying to the Lord. And her prayer were not just a one-time event, but she prayed with intensity and focus. 1 Samuel 1:15 says she “poured her soul before the Lord.”

God calls for us to persistently pray for strength, wisdom, and petition our requests with consistency, confidence, and steadfastness. When things are not going according to plan or the outcome is not what we would like, it is easy to stop praying or believe God has abandon us. Praying to God persistently deepens our relationship with God. And is an act of worship and surrender. When we pray, we acknowledge we are not in control and are welcoming God’s sovereignty.

When my son was working thousands of miles away, it wasn’t the safest job he could have. I was very scared about what could happen. I prayed persistently for safety and a quick return to America. I knew I in was not in control, but God was.

Surrender your all before God. When Hannah prayed, she did not hold back. She poured her heart and soul (every emotion) out to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:16 says “I have been praying here out of great anguish and grief.” God already knew Hannah’s circumstances, but she surrendered any way with every raw emotion she was feeling.

Surrendering to God grows our relationship with Him, we become spiritually mature. God isn’t into sugarcoating where we are. At times we all believe the God cannot handle the weight of our situation. But, in our hardest seasons of strife and despair, God wants us to draw close to Him. He can handle every weight, burden, uncertainty or fear we have.

Even when we feel our words aren’t adequate, Romans 8:26 says, “the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. When we don’t know what to pray for or have prayed everything out but still feel anguish. The Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us. In Psalm 56:8 it says, “Tears are prayer too. They travel to God when we can’t speak.” The Lord knows I’ve spent many time praying with my tears.. God’s great love for us covers us each day. When we surrender everything to the Lord and allow God to move in and through us and or circumstances then He works on our behalf. Submit to God and release your circumstances to Him.

Remember God’s faithfulness. As Hannah prayed to God, she gave Him thanks and remembered His faithfulness. 1 Samuel 2:2 says, “There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you. There is no rock like our God.” Hannah recognized God’s ultimate sovereignty and that God’s faithfulness prevailed.

During trying times, we need to remember God’s faithfulness with strengthen and encourage us. And He will never abandon us. After God granted Hannah the blessing of her son Samuel, she continued to give God praise.

When we thank God for our blessings and answered prayers it keeps us connected and encouraged that God has not forgotten us.

Speak victory despite opposition. Hannah was taunted for being unable to bear a child by Elkanah’s second wife for many years (1 Samuel 1:6-7). While Hannah cried and was distraught by ongoing ridicule, she did not stop praying and seeking the Lord. Even though her circumstances were overwhelming and she could have easily lost hope, she prayed until she was victorious (1 Samual 2:1).

We all face difficult times that seem unbearable or hopeless. But we can be encouraged by Hannah’s commitment to trusting God. We need to speak life and victory over our circumstances. It’s easy to become distracted by opposition, negativity, or self-doubt but we can choose to seek God’s Word for renewed hope and walk in the victory that we have in Jesus.

Walking in victory does not mean that all our trials or difficult circumstances will magically disappear, but it does mean that we have decided to not let them consume us. If we ask for God to guide us through trials or difficult circumstances He will.

Prayer is a powerful tool given to us by God to stay connected to Him. And overcome the tactics of satan.