Creator, Father, King #107

No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

TODAY’S DEVOTION BEGINS WITH a man named Elkanah who had two wives. (Bad move, brother!)

Elkanah’s favorite wife, Hannah, couldn’t have children. Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, who had given Elkanah many children, often mocked Hannah for her barrenness. First Samuel 1:5 says God had purposefully closed Hannah’s womb.

Hannah could have responded many different ways. She could’ve said any of the following prayers:

• “Dear Lord, please give me as many children as Peninnah so we can play them in basketball and crush them by fifty points.”
• “Dear Lord, lots of people look down on me for not having children. Please inflict them with rare, itchy skin diseases.”
• “Dear Lord, I’m tired of washing the dishes, taking out the trash, and doing the laundry every day. Please give me kids so I can make them do it.”
• “Dear Lord, why won’t you let me have children? Don’t you care? Don’t you love me?”

This, of course, is not how Hannah prayed. Instead, she made a beautiful vow to God in 1 Samuel 1:11: “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.”

Instead of reacting angrily to Peninnah or even to God, Hannah humbly petitioned the Lord for a son—not for her own benefit, but for his glory. And the Lord answered her prayer! Eventually, Hannah gave birth to Samuel, who became one of Israel’s greatest prophets.

What’s It Mean?

Hannah’s wonderful prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 can teach us a few things about prayer. Her prayer was

• all about God, not Hannah;
• a prayer of praise and thanksgiving; and
• focused on who God is and the wonderful things he has done.

In other words, Hannah’s prayer was God-centric. Our prayers should glorify the Lord and make much of him. If you look at the greatest prayers in Scripture, they recall God’s faithfulness, extol his name, and look forward to his continued salvation.

Whatever we’re facing in life, we can bring it to the Lord. Our prayers, meanwhile, should never be haughty or self-serving but worshipful of the God who hears our petitions and answers them according to his perfect will.

Now What?

Read Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Using it as your model, start praying more God-centrically every day.

Did You Know?

Hannah’s prayer closely resembles Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-56.