Hannah's Prayer

"So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." 1 Samuel 1:9-11

I'm beginning a bible study with some ladies in our church with this month's theme being, 'Powerful Prayers,' and what a powerful prayer to begin with!

When we read in the bible the prayers prayed by others in their most difficult times, it allows us to see that others before us have gone through the very same things we deal with today, and it allows us to see the Power of God!

Let's define some words in Hannah's prayer based on Strong's Concordance:

Bitterness, 4751=Great heaviness

Handmaid, 519=Servant

Affliction, 6040=Depressed, misery, trouble.

Hannah had no child of her own; she was barren.  Even though her husband favored Hannah above his other wife, being barren in those days was a shame and an embarrassment for the woman.  It didn't help that her husband's other wife had two men children and flaunted that in Hannah's face every day.

Hannah's prayer is one of my favorite prayers in the bible because it teaches me many things:

-She prayed to The Only One Who could answer her prayer-

-She prayed from the very depths of her pain-

-She vowed a vow to God, and vows were not to be taken lightly, (She kept that vow!)-

-She committed her affliction to God by name-

-She prayed specifically-

-She asked God to remember her, (and He did!)-

-She admitted her place before a Holy God. She was His servant-

-She made her request in humility-

There is so much we can learn about prayer in just these three little verses!

What an example we have in Hannah.  I love the fact that when she prayed for her request for a man child, she already knew that he would belong to the LORD. She asked God to bless her with a son, so that she could give him back to the LORD.  What a testimony!

"Hannah took something that already belonged to the LORD and gave it again to Him in a greater way-for his whole life, and in the dedication of a Nazarite, which was a greater consecration than a Levite." Guzik

Are my prayers selfish...?

    When God answers my prayers, do I give what He has given me, back to Him...?

        Hannah's prayer gave me something to think about...

            But that's just me!

"As we pour out our bitterness in prayer, God pours in His peace.' F.B. Meyer