This is part of Hannah’s prayer after she gave her son, Samuel, to serve in the temple. She hadn’t been able to have children. Then she prayed for a child. God gave her what she asked for. Then Hannah was so grateful she decided to give Samuel “back” to God by having him spend the rest of his life serving in the temple.
This prayer is called “Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer,” but she must have had a more than a few mixed emotions about the whole thing. She’d waited until she’d weaned her son so her bond as a mother was strong.
As I read Hannah’s full prayer, it reminds me a lot of Job. Job learned how unimaginably powerful, wise, mysterious, and complex the Creator and Master of the universe is. He does what He wants, when He wants, and has complete control over intricate matters we will never understand. But fortunately, He is also unimaginably good, patient, generous, and loving.
Hannah saw this about God too. She was so grateful that God heard her and answered her by sending her a son. But she was also humbled and overwhelmed by the idea, by His greatness. Her prayer and today’s verse show it.
There is one God who created everything. One God who is ultimately in control of it all still. He is holy and unchanging.
Because of her experience, Hannah learned to trust this amazing God. She stopped obsessing about what she didn’t have and was grateful instead for always having a God who saw her and loved her. I can learn a lot from Hannah.
Dear God,
I’m so sorry for getting stuck worrying about things I don’t have. Thank you so much for all you have blessed me with. And thank you for giving me you! You are awesome, in the true sense of the word. I can’t believe that you care about me and yet the Bible tells me that you do. Teach me to trust you the way Hannah did. You are the one God and Creator, you are my God.
CamDevo 