Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 1:9-18
Hannah’s Prayer for a Son
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
Hannah’s Prayer for a Son
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
Commentary:
1:11 I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life seems to mean that Hannah will dedicate her son as a Nazirite. According to Numbers 6, people might make a special vow to separate themselves to the Lord for a time. This involved letting no razor … touch one’s head, eating nothing from the grapevine, and not going near a dead body. Hannah mentions only the razor in the text, but that part of the vow probably stood for the whole of the regulations. According to Lev. 27:1–8, a person as young as a month old could be vowed to the Lord, apparently to work in the temple. The Leviticus passage deals with redeeming someone who has been dedicated, but Hannah does not intend to redeem her son.
1:11 By his power to bring life out of barrenness God raises up Samuel as his representative, prefiguring the virgin birth of Christ (Matt. 1:25).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 492.
1:11 By his power to bring life out of barrenness God raises up Samuel as his representative, prefiguring the virgin birth of Christ (Matt. 1:25).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 492.
Questions:
Hannah reached a point where she could no longer carry the weight of her sadness. She left the meal, went to the Tabernacle, and poured out her heart before God. She wasn't trying to sound impressive. She wasn't searching for the right words. She simply brought her pain to the only One who could truly help.
Hannah calls God the "Lord of Heaven’s Armies". She knew the God who rules over all creation also cared about one grieving woman praying through tears. That is the God we serve. Her prayer wasn't trying to force God's hand, it was an act of surrender. She placed her deepest desire into God's hands and trusted Him with the outcome. She wanted a son, but more than that, she wanted God to be honored.
Prayer isn't about convincing God to do what we want. It's about bringing our hearts honestly before Him and learning to trust His wisdom above our own. Jesus did the same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane. He poured out His heart to the Father, expressing the weight of His suffering while ultimately saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done." Honest prayer and humble surrender always belong together. God already knows what's in your heart. The invitation is simply to bring it to Him.
Hannah calls God the "Lord of Heaven’s Armies". She knew the God who rules over all creation also cared about one grieving woman praying through tears. That is the God we serve. Her prayer wasn't trying to force God's hand, it was an act of surrender. She placed her deepest desire into God's hands and trusted Him with the outcome. She wanted a son, but more than that, she wanted God to be honored.
Prayer isn't about convincing God to do what we want. It's about bringing our hearts honestly before Him and learning to trust His wisdom above our own. Jesus did the same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane. He poured out His heart to the Father, expressing the weight of His suffering while ultimately saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done." Honest prayer and humble surrender always belong together. God already knows what's in your heart. The invitation is simply to bring it to Him.
- How honest are your prayers with God? What part of your heart have you been reluctant to bring before Him? Is there a prayer you've been holding back?
- Why does God invites us to pray when He already knows everything we need? What does Jesus' own prayer life teach us about why prayer is essential, even though the Father already knows our hearts?
- Is there anything you've been unwilling to say to God because you're afraid, ashamed, angry, or disappointed? What would it look like for you to begin talking to God with the complete honesty?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the times you've relied on your own strength or treated prayer as a last resort instead of your first response.
- Thank God that He welcomes you to come honestly before Him with every fear, sorrow, and burden.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you to pray with honesty, humility, and confidence in God's wisdom.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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