“Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:10).
Have you ever been in Hannah’s situation of deep anguish? Maggie and I experienced infertility for the first five years of our marriage and understand very well where Hannah was coming from. The deep desire to hold a child was so palpable and the hurt so raw, this passage became a well-worn path for us in Scripture. We took constant comfort in the very name of Hannah’s long-awaited child Samuel, which means “Heard of God.”
God hears. What a marvelous truth. Far too many people believe that God is the great-grandfather in the sky that frankly needs a hearing aid. This misconception can be cleared up with further reading in Hannah’s story.
You see, after God answers Hannah’s ache for a child, she sings a song to the God who hears (read 1 Samuel 2:1-10). She begins with praise for God and then she declares several truths about God in just one verse: “No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).
God is Holy.
God is Unique.
God is Mighty.
Hannah stands in Scripture as a woman of great faith and her song not only sets an example for me and you in our prayer lives, it served as a well for Mary to draw from when she declared her love for her Lord after she learned she was to bear the Messiah.
What can Hannah’s song teach us about prayer?
Start with praise for God. “My heart rejoices in the Lord!” v. 1 a
Proclaim truths about God. “No one is holy like the Lord!” v. 2a
Acknowledge God is Creator. “For all the earth is the Lord’s, and He has set the world in order.” v. 8b
Declare that His Son will return. “He gives power to His king; He increases the strength of His anointed one.” v. 10b
On the heels of this Mother’s Day, stop and thank God for Hannah and for her godly example and prayer. Thank God for your own mother. Then take time to talk to your Heavenly Father.
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