Hannah’s Prayer

“I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD.” — 1 Samuel 1:27–28

There was once a woman called Hannah, who longed and longed for a baby. Her husband, Elkanah, loved her very much. But he had another wife too, called Peninnah, who had children. And Peninnah teased Hannah and made fun of her, year after year, because Hannah had no children.

Every year the family went to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, to worship God. And every year Peninnah upset Hannah so much that she cried and wouldn’t eat.

“Hannah, why are you crying?” Elkanah would say. “Why won’t you eat? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

One year, after they had eaten, Hannah got up and went to the house of the Lord. She was so sad. She cried and cried, and she prayed to God.

“O Lord,” she prayed, “please look at how unhappy I am, and remember me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you for all his life.”

Hannah prayed silently. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out. An old priest called Eli was sitting nearby, and he watched her. He thought she must be drunk!

“How long are you going to be drunk?” Eli said to her.

“No, my lord,” said Hannah. “I’m not drunk. I am very sad, and I have been pouring out my heart to the Lord.”

Then Eli said, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel give you what you have asked Him for.”

Hannah went away, and she ate, and she wasn’t sad any more.

And God remembered Hannah. She had a baby boy! She named him Samuel, which sounds like the Hebrew words for “heard by God”, because she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah didn’t forget her promise. When Samuel was old enough to eat ordinary food, she took him to Shiloh, to the house of the Lord, and brought him to Eli.

“Do you remember me?” she said. “I am the woman who stood here praying. I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has given me what I asked for. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will belong to the Lord.”

So little Samuel stayed with Eli, to serve God in the tabernacle.

Then Hannah prayed again. But this time it was a happy prayer, a song. “My heart rejoices in the Lord!” she sang. “There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You. There is no Rock like our God.”

Every year, Hannah made Samuel a little robe and took it to him when she came to Shiloh. And God gave Hannah three more sons and two daughters.

Read it in your Bible: 1 Samuel 1:1–2:11; 2:18–21

Dear God, thank you that I can pour out my heart to you when I am sad. Thank you that you hear me, even when I pray without making a sound. Amen.