Prophetic Prayer

On the crucial day when Hannah returned to Shiloh to leave her son Samuel with Eli the priest, she could have focused on her loss. Instead, she prayed. I smile at my enemies, she said, because I rejoice in Your salvation. (I Sam. 2:1 NKJV)

God did something special for Hannah that day. He gave her a vision and she prayed prophetically. She looked beyond the painful task at hand and looked into the future. In that moment, because she had released her son, she understood God’s plan for Israel and all humanity. She prophetically proclaimed the Second Coming of the Son of God. For by strength no man shall prevail, she declared. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces . . .The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed. (v. 10)

We could gloss over Hannah’s trauma, decide it would be easy for her to leave her little Samuel with Eli because he was in God’s care. The Bible gives us a glimpse of reality. As the family continued their yearly pilgrimages to Shiloh, Hannah continued to provide for him. She took robes that she had painstakingly made for her son so he would have something to wear during the coming year.

Can you imagine those yearly meetings?

We don’t know if Hannah asked for more children, but God gave her three additional sons and two daughters. No longer barren, she walked in His blessings. God honored the woman of faith who rejoiced in Him.

Originally published June 4, 1993.
Picture: Como Park, St. Paul, MN, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

She Made a Vow

Sometimes God’s people have to get serious when they pray. And sometimes, when they get serious, they make a vow.

Hannah did. After years of taunting and emotional persecution by members of the family, she had a purpose when she went on the family’s yearly pilgrimage to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. There she wept and bared her heart before God, and then she prayed, [I]f you will only look upon 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 . . .” (I Sam. 1:11a NIV)

After Eli the priest blessed her, Hannah returned home, and within a year she gave birth to Samuel. Several years later, when Samuel was weaned, Hannah fulfilled her vow. She took him back to Shiloh, and there she gave him to the Lord by placing him with Eli.

Samuel ministered to the Lord in Shiloh. He became a prophet who called Israel back to God. He was also the last judge to serve as the governmental leader of Israel. He even anointed Saul, the first king—and then he anointed King David.

The heart-felt vow of the desperate Hannah helped shape the history of Israel.

Originally published May 13, 1983.

"I Poured Out My Soul"

Why is it hard to admit failure and disappointment? Psychologists tell us it is dangerous to stuff such feelings because, when we do, they eat away at our internal strengths.

There is a Biblical alternative. We see it in Hannah, wife of Elkannah. She thought herself a failure when she couldn’t produce a child. She might have suppressed her disappointment for some time, but eventually she wept.

Hannah’s husband tried to console her by asking her to stop weeping. That might have been a convenient solution for Elkanah, but it would have been detrimental for Hannah.

God responded to the depths of Hannah’s sorrow. When she yielded to weeping, she released pent-up emotions and she directed her sorrows to the One who could help. The Bible says, she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. (I Sam. 1:10 NKJV) She said of the experience, [I] poured out my soul. . . . (v. 15)

Eli the priest did not understand and was judgmental until she spoke to him. Then he understood and responded to Hannah with a word from God. Hannah received the word in faith and, when she did, God set her free from the burden of failure.

Originally published January 17, 1992.
Picture: Como Park, St. Paul, MN, 2009. Photo by Solveig.