Daily Devotional | Hannah's Prayer

Has there ever been a time when you pleaded with the Lord? “God, if you do this, then I promise to . . . ” Sometimes God looks at our life and chooses to answer “Yes.” In our text today, we turn to the Old Testament and read a powerful prayer, spoken by a woman named Hannah.

Although Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, loved her more than his other wife, she could not bear a child. Scripture tells us that God closed Hannah’s womb (1:5). But Hannah’s desire became so strong that she promised that, if God would grant her a child, she would surrender him to Yahweh (1:11). God answered her plea. In response, she indeed dedicated Samuel to the Lord and handed him over to Eli the priest (1:28). What tremendous courage it must have taken Hannah to surrender her answered prayer over to someone else.

The prayer we read today is very personal to Hannah. She cries, “my heart... my horn... my mouth” (2:1). We see that it was Yahweh, not Samuel, who was the ultimate foundation of her joy and strength. For Hannah, there was no one like the Lord (v. 2). Safety, comfort, and justice are found in Him (v. 3).

Throughout her prayer, Hannah praises the Lord for reversing the conditions of people who rightly follow Him. From the dead, they are given life, from the grave they are raised up, from the ash heap they are lifted (vv. 6–8). Her prayer ends with an eye to the future. At this time in Israel’s history, they had no king, but she prophetically proclaims Israel’s future king, and the future King of kings, Jesus Christ (v. 10). Hannah’s prayer reminds us that God is in control and that He has a grand plan.

>> Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the things God has blessed you with and then take this time to give Him the adoration He deserves.

Pray with Us

We praise you for the daily blessings that bring us joy. We adore you for the miraculous ways you have proven your faithfulness. We glorify you for the work you have done in our lives that we do not yet understand.

BY Dr. Chris Rappazini

Dr. Chris Rappazini is Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at Moody Bible Institute. He is the former President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and previously served as an Associate Minister of Preaching and Teaching in Spokane, Washington. Chris and his wife, Ashley, and their children reside in Northwest Indiana.