In my daily devotional time, I recently read Hannah’s story, and while I have read it and heard it told many times before, her prayer in 1 Samuel stuck out to me. The Word of God is alive, and while the words on the page don’t change, they can speak to us differently as the
seasons of life change. Maybe Hannah’s words are just what you need to hear today, or maybe you’ll come across Hannah’s prayer during a different season and can reflect on this passage of scripture in a new light.
So, who’s Hannah? Many know her story, but if you are unfamiliar with it, Hannah was a woman who lived in Ramah with her husband and his other wife. They were of the Levite clan of Israel, and Hannah was barren. Her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, had children and would
use this fact to provoke, ridicule, and bully Hannah. But her husband, Elkanah, loved Hannah and showed her great blessings despite not being able to have children. Year after year the family would travel to Shiloh (where the Ark of the Covenant was) to sacrifice to the Lord. One year, after suffering severe verbal abuse from Peninnah, Hannah went to the temple to pray and present her requests to the Lord, and during this prayer. The priest of the day, Eli, saw her, and because she was praying in her heart but her mouth moved as though she was talking, he accused her of being drunk and told her to go home. Instead, she explained her situation to the priest, he blessed her, and her spirits were lifted. The family went home, and God opened Hannah’s womb to conceive a son. During her prayer at the temple, she had promised God that she would dedicate her first son to Him, that he would take the Nazarite pledge (not cutting his hair, not drinking wine or beer, and never touching a dead body) and he would live in service unto the Lord. Her son’s name was Samuel, and after he was weaned, Hannah made good on her promise to the Lord and brought Samuel to Shiloh and presented him to the priest Eli, Samuel stayed at the temple and began the work of priesthood.
As happy as I am sure Hannah was about having a son, and even a son who would become a profit, I can only imagine that the day she had to leave to return home to Ramah without Samuel was excruciatingly painful. The son she waiting and longed for was here, but she wouldn’t be there every day to witness how he grew. She made good on her promise to the Lord, but it was no small cost. this brings me to 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Hannah’s prayer. She could have lamented her position and regretted the covenant she entered into with God, but instead
Hannah gave God glory, she praised Him, and rejoiced that He had used her.
Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:1-2
Hannah goes back to the source of her joy; it’s not shutting Peninnah up, it’s not being accepted socially now, it’s not that her husband loves her more, it’s not Samuel or being a mother. Her joy comes from the Lord. She chooses to praise the Giver, not the gift. Most
recently, on our mission trip to Hawaii, I was struck by the local’s great love for their island. Maui is stunning, and many people go to great lengths to keep it that way, our own youth group was very cautious to pick up litter we saw on the beach or streets. We served alongside of men and women who dedicate all of their free time to removing invasive trees to help restore the growth of native plants. Long story short, they love their island, but I was struck with if they love their island more than the one who created it. Or if they love their island without ever
knowing who created it and who created them! The Lord is the giver of every good and perfect gift, (James 1:17) so while we enjoy them, let’s continue to sing His praises for them!
Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons’ pines away. The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with
princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. 1 Samuel 2:3-7
Hannah goes beyond herself in this next part of her prayer and uses it as a chance to warn the proud in heart. The Lord knows our innermost thoughts; nothing is hidden from Him. That may come across as intimidating, but how remarkable that He still wants us after knowing the WORST about us. He is our judge, and he is sovereign over provisions, childing bearing, military prowess, death and life, wealth and poverty, kings and kingdoms, all of it. She also points out that God humbles the strong but exalts the weak, “but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 1 Samuel 2:8-10
Hannah starts to wrap up her prayer in confidence, confidence in the future because the future is the Lord’s. It is so easy to turn on the news today and be weighed down by the grief, violence, and pain people are in. So many in our world today don’t see a bright future because they don’t see God at the end of the tunnel. They don’t believe that all authority on heaven and on earth is His (Matthew 28:18) so their outlook is bleak. But we know, and Hannah knew that the future is the Lords. It’s not by our strength that we are saved. It’s by the grace and love of Jesus. Just as she ties this up, we’re giving a messianic prophecy, the strength given to the king and the exalting of the horn of His anointed is in reference to King David, but also Jesus. The Lord blessed Hannah not only with her son, but with speaking truth about the messiah.
I do want to point out that this wasn’t a bartering situation between Hannah and God. Yes, God answered her prayers for a child after she promised to dedicate him back to God. God wasn’t waiting for a deal to be struck. God already knew the plans he had for Hannah and her
son Samuel. Scripture says that it was God who had closed her womb (1 Samuel 1:6). We can speculate on why it happened when it did, but we can rest assured that God’s timing is perfect. Hannah, in the midst of her greatest struggle, turned to the Lord in prayer. She entered
into a covenant with God, and she saw it to completion. Instead of being tempted to give the glory to anyone else, Hannah remembered God and sang His praises for all He had done. I can only pray that when life’s struggles come my way, I can remember how Hannah turned to the Lord.
Friends, I remind you of the words from verse 2, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” We serve a God unlike anything else that has ever existed. He is the first, the last, the only, there are none before Him, beside Him,
or like Him, what an honor it is to serve Him.
In Christ,
Becca Drumheller
