1 Samuel 2:1–2: “And Hannah prayed and said: ‘My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.'”

May 11th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Hannah was a woman of faith. She continued in prayer, waiting to see her request fulfilled by the Lord. And when He did fulfill it, she did not forget her promise to Him, nor to be grateful and thankful for His grace on her and her husband. She seemed in fact to have burst out with praise for all that He had done for her, even as she gave her son, Samuel, back over to serve the Lord. She praised God for His holiness and His uniqueness (“none like You”) as well as for His strength and security (“Rock”) for those who trust in Him. There was no element of sadness at all, even though she was leaving Samuel at the temple. She was thrilled to be able to parent a prophet. She didn’t brag about how handsome or smart or spiritual her son was, instead she overlooked the gift and praised the Giver. She clearly claimed there was no one else like God and no one else who would be her Rock through the storms of life.

Hannah is a beautiful, Old-Testament example of what it means to be a “woman of God.” She endured years of silent suffering because of her barrenness, quietly accepting the harsh harassment at the hand of her antagonist, Penninah, her husband’s other wife who had children. She continued to go to the place of worship, knowing how painful it would be and choosing to worship anyway, pouring out her tears and petitions to the Lord. And when God finally answered her prayer, she not only kept her promise, but exploded with praise. Perhaps the primary lesson from the life of Hannah is that we must keep growing in our relationship with God. If you want your kids or grandkids to know God and love Him, it must first be real in your own life.

“LORD, help us to model to others today who You are to us. Help us to make You the center of everything we say and do.”