The Second Chapter of First Samuel makes us want to high-five and fist-bump and jump up and down. It is rightly entitled, “Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer,” and it is magnificent! Hannah’s prayer is full of joy and praise and thankfulness to God for answering her prayers for a baby. It’s the kind of prayer that we dream of praying, and I read it wondering why I wasn’t praying more prayers like that.
This week I’ve been looking through my journal of prayers from last year, and I noticed that I didn’t get as many answers to my prayers as I had hoped and I wanted to know why. I took a closer look at Hannah.
The Bible tells us that barren Hannah was so frantic for a baby that her prayers became desperate. When Hannah prayed she was “deeply hurt” and prayed with “many tears.” (1 Sam. 1:10) She was so overcome with emotion that the priest, Eli, thought that she was drunk!
Hannah answered Eli, “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord. Don’t think of me as a wicked woman; I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.” (1 Sam. 1:15-16)
When I thought back at my prayer time over the last year, was it that focused? Did I pray with that much intensity? Was I unwilling to quit praying until I had received an answer from God the way that Hannah was?
The truth is, Hannah was only able to pray her triumphant prayer because of the countless other prayers that she had prayed. Her prayers weren’t weak or half-hearted. When Hannah prayed, she was not playing. She fell on her face before God and prayed with every ounce of her strength.
If you and I want to see the kind of triumphant answers to our prayers that Hannah did, we are going to have to get as serious as she was. No more lifeless prayers as we drift off to sleep. Our prayers are going to take time and effort and sometimes some tears. God hears and answers those kinds of prayers. Just ask Hannah.
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Reading Plan- Week Two
Day One- 1 Samuel 2
Day Two- 1 Samuel 3
Day Three- 1 Samuel 4
Day Four- 1 Samuel 5
Day Five- 1 Samuel 6