Topical Bible: Prayer: Hannah

◄ Prayer: Hannah ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Hannah, a significant figure in the Old Testament, is renowned for her fervent prayer and deep faith in God. Her account is primarily found in the first two chapters of the book of 1 Samuel. Hannah's narrative provides profound insights into the nature of prayer, the character of God, and the role of faith in the life of a believer.

Background

Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah, a man from the hill country of Ephraim. Although Elkanah loved Hannah dearly, she was barren, which was a source of great distress and social stigma in ancient Israel. Her rival, Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife, had children and often provoked Hannah, exacerbating her sorrow (1 Samuel 1:2-7).

Hannah's Prayer

In her deep anguish, Hannah turned to the Lord in prayer during one of their annual visits to the tabernacle at Shiloh. Her prayer is a model of heartfelt supplication and demonstrates several key aspects of effective prayer:

1. Honesty and Vulnerability: Hannah's prayer was marked by raw honesty. She wept bitterly and poured out her soul before the Lord, expressing her deep pain and longing for a child (1 Samuel 1:10-15). Her willingness to be vulnerable before God is a testament to her faith and trust in Him.

2. Vow and Commitment: In her prayer, Hannah made a vow to the Lord, saying, "O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head" (1 Samuel 1:11). This vow reflects her deep commitment to God and her willingness to dedicate her most precious gift back to Him.

3. Faith and Perseverance: Despite her prolonged period of barrenness and the provocation from Peninnah, Hannah continued to pray and seek the Lord. Her perseverance in prayer is a powerful example of faith in action.

God's Response

God heard Hannah's prayer and granted her request. She conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel, meaning "heard by God," acknowledging that her prayer had been answered (1 Samuel 1:20). True to her vow, once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to the tabernacle and dedicated him to the Lord's service (1 Samuel 1:24-28).

Hannah's Song of Praise

Following the fulfillment of her prayer, Hannah offered a song of praise, recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. This prayer of thanksgiving is a profound theological reflection on God's sovereignty, justice, and faithfulness. It begins with Hannah's personal joy and expands to a broader declaration of God's power and His care for the humble and oppressed. "My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in Your salvation" (1 Samuel 2:1).

Legacy

Hannah's account is a powerful testament to the efficacy of prayer and the faithfulness of God. Her example encourages believers to approach God with honesty, faith, and perseverance, trusting in His timing and sovereignty. Samuel, the son she prayed for, became one of Israel's greatest prophets and judges, playing a crucial role in the nation's history. Hannah's prayer life and her dedication of Samuel to the Lord continue to inspire and instruct believers in their own spiritual journeys.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 1:10
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD, and wept sore.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Hannah Praying Before the Lord.
... Samuel means Heard of God, which name Hannah gave him in remembrance of God's goodness
in hearing her prayer. [Illustration: HANNAH PRAYING BEFORE THE LORD.]. ...
/.../mother stories from the old testament/hannah praying before the lord.htm

Praying Saints of the Old Testaments
... Samuel was born in answer to the vowful prayer of Hannah, for the solemn covenant
which she made with God if He would grant her request must not be left out of ...
/.../bounds/prayer and praying men/i praying saints of the.htm

I Suspect I have Been Allotting Habitually Too Little Time to ...
... Through prayer Hannah found her relief. ... Hannah gave herself to prayer, and in sorrow
she multiplied her praying. She saw a great revival born of her praying. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter vii i suspect i.htm

Prayer and God's Work
... If Hannah's prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself,
the nation might never have known the mighty man of God it found in Samuel. ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/vii prayer and gods work.htm

Prayer Essential to God
... Hannah's petition for a son began a great prayer movement for God in Israel.
Praying women, whose prayers like those of Hannah, can ...
/.../bounds/the weapon of prayer/i prayer essential to god.htm

That More Might be Given and Gotten.
... And Hannah's exultant song of praise reveals the fineness to which the texture of ...
patience and of strong deliberate purpose delayed the answer to her prayer. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/that more might be given.htm

Answer to Objections: Signal Instances of Prayer
... right prayer, have obtained the greatest of things from God, when it is open to
everyone to select any number of them for himself from the Scriptures? Hannah ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter viii answer to objections .htm

God's Pathway to Human Hearts.
... These four are Moses' request to enter Canaan; Hannah's prayer for a son; Paul's
thorn; and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. Let us look a bit at these in turn. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/gods pathway to human hearts.htm

Elijah --Passionate in Prayer
... There was not another night like that for passion in prayer for two thousand
years. ... And take Hannah as an example to wives and mothers. ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/vi elijahpassionate in prayer.htm

The Story of David, the Shepherd Boy
... The Lord heard Hannah's prayer, and gave her a little boy, and she called his name
Samuel, which means "Asked of God"; because he had been given in answer to ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of david the.htm