February 20th Devotion

Hannah’s Prayer: 2 Important Lessons Her Faith Teaches Us Today
By: Debbie McDaniel

“Then Hannah prayed and said; ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God.’” (1 Samuel 2:1-2)

Hannah’s story is one of the most well-known stories of faith-filled women mentioned in the Bible. Her longing for a child, and dark season of waiting, has brought countless women (and men) to pore over these pages of 1 Samuel chapters 1-2. At that time in the Bible, barrenness brought deep shame upon a family. Because children were counted as God’s blessing, to encounter infertility was a difficult burden for any couple to bear.

But God never makes a mistake. He never forgets to work on our behalf. And He never ignores our deepest prayers and longings. It’s just that often, many times, His ways are much higher than ours, and His timing is different.

Here are 2 Ways Hannah’s Faith Can Help Strengthen Ours Today:

1. She believed God would do what He said He would do.
“Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast…so in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’” (1 Samuel 1:18, 20)

As soon as Hannah was on her way, she was no longer downcast. She knew in her heart that God was at work. She had faith in her God who is always faithful. She didn’t doubt, she didn’t worry.

This section of Scripture also says that she “worshipped Him” before they left. She offered to God a sacrifice of praise of worship, believing in His power to do great things. It doesn’t say how long exactly it took. Maybe her faith was still tested. But in the “course of time,” meaning God’s anointed and appointed time, He did a miracle in Hannah’s life, and she conceived and gave birth to a son.

2. She gave God praise for the way He had worked.
“Then Hannah prayed and said; ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God.’” (1 Samuel 2:1-2)

This beautiful, anointed prayer of Hannah can be read through the first 10 verses of Chapter 2. It’s similar in theme and thought to Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), spoken as praise to God over the child in her womb, our Savior Jesus. I believe God spoke these words straight to the hearts of these two faith-filled women. Their pregnancies and the births of their sons would impact people, nations, and our world today.

Samuel the priest, was also a prophet, counselor, and Israel’s greatest judge. He was the one who would anoint David as King, who was in the direct lineage of Christ. In fact, many agree that the last verse of Hannah’s powerful prayer is a specific prophecy of Christ the King, “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed,” (v. 10).

There are never accidents in God’s timing and purposes.

Just as Hannah praised God for being a “Rock,” we too can lean fully on Him. In our ever-changing, hectic world, it may be difficult to know what, or who, we can really trust anymore. But God is secure, He’s our sure foundation, our solid Rock. We can rely on Him who never changes to hold us steady in every tumultuous time. Our God is forever faithful.

No matter what you’re facing today, hope in Him. He will never fail. And He is with you, always.