Who Needs To Know That You Hear Her

May the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.

DO YOU EVER WONDER whether God has heard you? If so, friend, we can reassure you: God hasn’t missed one prayer of your heart. He hears what you don’t even whisper to another person. He hears what you haven’t told anyone else. How can we be so confident? We remember the story in Scripture about one woman, Hannah, who persisted in prayer.

Every year Hannah went up to the Tabernacle in Shiloh with her husband, Elkanah. She had no children of her own, so this family celebration was a painful experience for Hannah. She was often taunted by Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah.

One year Hannah couldn’t even eat because she was so discouraged. Yet she didn’t return home and sleep away her sorrow. She went to God in prayer at the Tabernacle. She told Him, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).

She prayed in her heart, and while her lips moved, she spoke no words aloud. Scripture records that the chief priest, Eli, saw her and mistook her for being drunk. Hannah answered,

“Not so, my lord. . . . I am a woman who is deeply troubled. . . . I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. . . . I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Soon after, the Lord gave Hannah a son, and she kept her promise to give him back to the Lord.

Hannah’s story is beautiful and complex. It’s full of determination and God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that even when we feel like we haven’t been heard, God has been paying attention to the cries of our hearts.

My friend, that one thing you’ve prayed about for days or weeks or years—the prayer that you feel certain has gone straight past God’s ears—has not been lost. He hears you. He cares. Pause for just a moment and let that truth settle into your heart. Jesus heard as you prayed all alone, as you wondered in your heart, as you cried out for His help. And . . . He loves you. Your prayers are heard by a God who cares. You have the attention of Jesus, who loves you so much He took your place on the cross so you’d never again have to wonder if He heard your prayers.

Hold on, Momma. The answers are coming. “May the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

Tonight we pray for the momma who needs to know that You hear her. Lord, she has cried and prayed and waited with so much hope and patience, but the voice of discouragement has been loud. And tonight she asks herself whether her prayers have reached You. Tonight we ask You to remind this momma that You have heard even the prayers she didn’t whisper out loud. You have a plan for her, and it will all unfold in due time. Give this momma peace tonight.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Lord, I know that you have heard my prayers about ___________________ . Grant me peace and greater trust in You as I wait for Your answers.