“There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2)
What are your prayers usually about? Do you mostly pray for God to give you what you want? Have you spent time praying through God’s attributes? Responding to who God is, Samuel’s mother, Hannah not only expresses God’s attributes but also rejoices in him in 1 Samuel.
Although God initially closed Hannah’s womb, which prompted her to pray a tearful, silent prayer until God heard her and gave her the son she asked for, she doesn’t stop praying. From a silent prayer of supplication in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah then prays of God’s character, her joy in who God is, and the power and salvation he gives her by his grace. From Hannah’s example, we learn that prayer isn’t restricted to when we’re longing and feeling sad. Prayer is about our God. Prayer expresses joy and is all about God.
Additionally, through Hannah’s prayer, we learn to pray through God’s revealed word. Her prayer first mentions the king of Israel as “anointed” in Scripture (v. 10). Hannah must have known Scripture well, and must have remembered Genesis 3:15, 17:6, 49:9–10, and Judges 21:25 while praying. She acknowledges that God will send and empower an anointed king to judge the earth. When we pray, let’s pray through his Word!
Father, thank You for your Word, for giving us Hannah’s prayer as a model of how to pray to you and what to pray for. May we pray more like your daughter with rejoice and faith, focusing on who You are and who we are in You, and what You are capable of doing. May our prayers be centered on You, not on us. Renew our minds and hearts as we reread Hannah’s prayer and meditate on your Word. Amen.