The Importance of Prayer: Approaching the Throne of GraceSample

God Remembers

Read: 1 Samuel 1:1–20

SOAP: 1 Samuel 1:10, 19–20

As for Hannah, she was very distressed. She prayed to the LORD and was, in fact, weeping.

They got up early the next morning. Then they worshiped the LORD and returned to their home at Ramathaim. Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the LORD called her to mind. Then Hannah became pregnant. In the course of time, she gave birth to a son. And she named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the LORD for him.”

Into the text

Hannah had fervently asked the Lord for a child. Her husband loved her, and she was cared for and provided for. But Peninnah, Elkanah’s second wife, had many children, and she ridiculed Hannah for her barrenness day after day. Hannah endured not only the longing and waiting in her own heart but shame and embarrassment from others.

Yet even in her distress, Hannah remained faithful to the Lord. She continued to seek Him, confident that He alone could change her situation, He alone could meet her deepest desire. Though she was so distressed that she could not even eat, Hannah sought the Lord. She poured out her heart to Him. Hannah didn’t try to hide her longings or her disappointment from God. She came before Him, pleading with Him to see her suffering and give her a child.

God called Hannah to mind. Some translations say God remembered Hannah. God had never forgotten her, but He remembered her distress and moved in such a way as to relieve her suffering. God granted Hannah’s request for a child when she offered up her sincere prayer. God answered Hannah out of His goodness alone.

God is faithful, and He answers prayers. We can remain persistent in our prayers to Him, continuing to seek Him and ask Him for the desires of our hearts. As long as we come to God with a posture of worship and humility, remembering that He is a holy God, we can be honest and real with our desires. While He may not answer us how He answered Hannah, there are more blessings in prayer than just the answer. The blessing of prayer is in the ability to be vulnerable and open before the Lord, speaking to Him and laying our hearts at His feet.

Prayer

Father God, You are the God whose love perseveres with me through every situation. Lord, help me endure when I believe I have nothing else left. Help me continue praising and worshiping you when I may not see Your work. Remind me that You never sleep nor slumber but are very active in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.