We read in Samuel 1:9-11 that Hannah gets up, she surrenders, and she cries out to God. She says, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on 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 for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” She pours her heart out to the Lord in this moment. She got up, she took her empty cup that no one else could ever fill for her, and she finally holds it up to God.
After this crying out to the Lord and a discussion with Eli, Scripture tells us that she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. But why? What changed? Was she pregnant? No. Did God tell her that she would become pregnant? No. Was there this audible voice promising deliverance? No, nothing like that. Nothing changed, but she surrendered her circumstances to God and accepted that he is the Lord of Heaven's armies. He has power. He can be trusted. And finally, the Bible says that after some time she was given a son and she named him Samuel, which means heard by God or asked of God.
Chapter two begins with Hannah praying another prayer. It’s a prayer of celebration, in which she states, “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. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTION: What in your life do you need to surrender over to God and cry out to him regarding? Will you humble yourself and do that today?
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Thomas Bellingham