God Answers Prayers

[Hannah] 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.”

1 Samuel 1:11

Hannah was a princess of God with a heavy heart. She longed to have a baby, but it hadn’t happened yet. To make matters worse, her husband had another wife, which was common in those times, and that wife had children. She made fun of Hannah for not being able to have a child.

Each year Hannah traveled with her husband and the other wife to the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Hannah was sad that she didn’t have children, so she went into the Tabernacle to plead with God for a son. Eli, the priest, saw Hannah’s lips moving but didn’t hear any words coming out, so he thought she was drunk. Hannah explained to him that she was pouring out her heart to God. Eli told her to go in peace, because God would answer her prayer.

Hannah did give birth to a son, and she dedicated him to the Lord’s work. When he was old enough, she took him to live at the Tabernacle and serve God there.

Hannah desired a child, and she told God about it and pleaded with him for what she wanted. Because Hannah loved the Lord and desired to serve him, God answered her prayer.

God asks you to tell him about your desires, and he wants to answer them. He will answer your prayers if the things you desire are things that are part of God’s plan for you. Hannah didn’t pray for children in order to compete with the other wife or for her own selfish reason. She prayed for a son to dedicate back to God. And God honored that request.

If your heart is in tune with God, and you desire his will for your life, chances are your requests will be ones that he wants to answer. When you pray, ask God to take away any wrong desires and show you what he wants for you. Pray often for those things, and watch God work in your life.

Take time to read about Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. You can read about her son, Samuel, in the rest of 1 Samuel. Become a woman of prayer like Hannah by asking God to lead you and to provide the things you need to serve him better.