Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”
When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always”
– 1 Samuel 1:9-22
Devotion
The story of Hannah and Samuel shows God’s awareness of our deepest longings, and His willingness to make us wait in order to bring about growth in our lives and faith. In many ways, Hannah’s story is simply a new perspective on the old rival-wife dynamic of Rachel and Leah, but the ending is drastically different. Rather than continuing a cycle of competition and backstabbing, Hannah’s humility and faithfulness blessed the entire nation of Israel through Samuel. God’s decision not to answer Hannah’s prayer immediately allowed her to grow spiritually, blessing her and thousands more.
The Big Question
What situations can you identify in your life when God answered your prayers on His time table instead of on yours? What faith lessons did He teach you by allowing you to wait on Him?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.