I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.
I Samuel 1:27-28a NIV
I Samuel chapter 1 tells the story of Hannah, who ached with the desire for a child and fervently prayed that God would grant her a son.
Hannah’s impassioned plea to God for the one thing that would mean the world to her finds its echo in each of us, for none are strangers to heartbreak. But her complete reliance on God for the answer to her need is wisdom we often lack.
Are we completely honest with God about it?
Hannah did so much more than just say “Please, God, give me a son.” She was utterly vulnerable before Him, offering not just words, but emotions. Her tearful plea was offered with every ounce of her strength, and with so much passion that the priest doubted her sobriety!
It’s rare that we are so honest about our pain with ourselves, let alone with God. But He alone can understand the depths of our emotions, and the first step to working through any challenging emotion or circumstance is to open our hearts to Him with full honesty.
Do we have faith in God himself, rather than the outcome?
After pouring her heart out to God and receiving a blessing from the priest, she wiped her eyes, changed her expression to one of joy and contentment, and worshiped God. One might infer from the passage that she had faith that God would grant her request, but the Scripture does not explicitly say that. It says only that Eli, the priest, added his prayer to hers.
What we do know is that she was fully confident in God’s power and favor and that her response was one of peace and joy and worship. We would do well to follow her lead.
Do we offer God an appropriate response after He answers?
After Samuel was born, Hannah did not just whisper some, “thank you, God” and go about her life. No, she knew that Samuel’s very life was a result of God’s favor, and she was overflowing with gratitude.
First, she gave Samuel a name that expressed her gratitude. Commentary on Biblegateway.com says that “Samuel” sounds like the ancient Hebrew word for “heard by God.” But she didn’t stop there.
She was so grateful to God for his incredible gift that she saw only one appropriate response: to literally give Samuel to God by giving him to the priest so that Samuel’s life would be lived in full service to God. She did this as soon as he was physically able to be separate from her according to their culture (most likely 3 or 4 years old). And she did so with joy, singing a song of praise to God about His sovereign power and authority.
It is good to be reminded in our time of abundance that it all comes from our Creator, that He is generous and faithful, and that we owe Him literally everything.
As we experience answers to prayer this week, I encourage us to remember Hannah’s example and likewise give heartfelt thanks to the One who owes us nothing and yet gives us everything.