Topic: My Desire and God’s Plan (I Samuel 1)

Hannah wanted a son. Having a son would give her worth as a wife and remove the guilt and shame that she felt from being barren. But God had a bigger plan than she could possibly imagine. God "closed" Hannah's womb, not to punish her but to bless the nation of Israel.

On the day of the yearly worship and sacrifice, Hannah breaks down and begins weeping. I'm sure that it must have been a very awkward moment for everyone around the table. Elkanah tries to comfort her, but Hannah knows whom to turn to in her time of suffering. I want you to notice several things about Hannah's prayer:

1. Her prayer was intense. Verse 10 says that she was "deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly." The Hebrew in verse 10 indicates that her prayer came from the very depths of her soul. It contained all her grief, all of her heart, and yes, all of her bitterness.

2. Her prayer was continual. In verse 12, we read that Hannah "continued praying before the LORD." This was not a casual request, lightly made but an intense and on-going prayer. What she poured out to the LORD was the deepest desire of her heart and she wouldn't be satisfied until she had poured out all of it before the LORD.

3. Her prayer didn't just ask God for something but offered to give God a gift in exchange. If God would give her a son, she would give her son to the LORD (1:11).

At the time of Hanna's prayer, God's people were in bad shape. They were not united politically nor religiously. The Book of Judges concludes with these words: "In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). It was also a time that the worship of the LORD was being corrupted in the Tabernacle. In First Samuel 2:12-17 you can read about Eli's two sons (Hophni and Phineas) who dishonored the LORD while serving in the tabernacle.

Hannah wanted a son to solve all her problems. God wanted a strong leader, one who could unite the nation and one who could reform the Tabernacle of corruption. God answered Hannah's prayer and gave her a son whom she named "Samuel' which means "God has heard.”

When you read the rest of First Samuel, you will see just how pivotal Hannah's son was to the history of Israel. Through Hannah, God raised up a great leader who undid the corruption of the Tabernacle, and who led the Israelites to defeat the Philistines. Eventually he even anointed Israel's first King, Saul; and Israel's second king, David: a man after God’s own heart.

Prayer is the avenue of God working his plan into our lives.

See you Sunday,

Dr. Scott Kallem