Daily Devotions – Hannah’s Prayer

Daily Devotions – Hannah’s Prayer

Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

 

1 Samuel 2:1-10 (NIV)

2 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. 2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God. 3 “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. 4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 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. 6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 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. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them, he has set the world.
9 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; 10 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.”

 

Choose one or two key verses from the Scripture reading today and do at least one of the following for your chosen verse(s).
A –  Ask questions of the text (Who, what, why, where, when)
– Emphasize certain words as you read the text over & over
I  –  In your own words (paraphrase one or more verses)
O  – Other verses in the Bible that say the same or opposite
U  – Use it; apply the truth from the text in your life

 

Lord, You answered Hannah’s desperate prayer as she poured her heart out to You for a child. Her prayer response after Samuel’s birth demonstrates the satisfaction of her soul where her joy is not focused on the answered prayer but in You. Lord, thank you for amazing answers to prayer, which you give when I pour out my soul to you.  You made me poor, which is a good reason why I should be content and yet made me rich, which is a good reason why I should be thankful, and serve You cheerfully, and do good with the abundance You give me. Thank you that sometimes you answer my prayers in remarkable ways. But whether I receive what I specifically ask for or not, thank you that you promise me the joy of Your salvation. Amen.