Hannah and Samuelናሙና

Getting Back on my Knees

There’s a common denominator between myself and Hannah, and it’s an important one. We both desire something deeply and we both are believing in a good God to deliver it. And we are both feeling the pain of that desire going unanswered.

Is it that our desire is wrong? I love Hannah’s boldness in her time of anguish. She courageously tells God to look on her misery and to see how deep her heartbreak runs. And she asks Him not to forget her. This cry of pain deeply resonates with all of us who have ever hoped God would deliver on our deep desire and instead are met with (what seems to be) silence.

As the passage continues, we see Hannah promise God that if He gave her a son, then she would dedicate Him to the service of God. And He answers her prayer. On a surface level, this would seem that there are magic words or phrases we should pray to move God’s heart. But God is not manipulated. His choosing to open Hannah’s womb after she prayed should not be read as though there was something Hannah did that year that finally got God over the line. For all we know, Hannah could have said those very words every year she had gone to pray. 

What I believe we should take from Hannah’s story is persistence. Persistence in not just praying for the godly desires of our heart, but rather persistence in the belief that no matter how many times I have to get back on my knees, God is still a good God and, one way or another, will answer my prayer with good things that bring Him glory.

Written by NERI MORRIS