Hannah the Troubled

Scripture:

1 Samuel 1

Quick Summary:

Hannah couldn’t have a son. She went to the temple and cried and prayed so hard, the priest thought she was drunk. God heard her prayer and she had a son! Just as she told God she would, she gave him back to God at the temple. Then she sang God’s praises. Her son would be the last of the judges, Samuel.

The Point:

It is important for us to pray from our heart, even if others think we look silly.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Who was the person you learned about? What made her special?

        a. Hannah prayed so hard, the priest thought she was drunk.

2.     What did she pray for?

        a. to have a son.  

3. What happened?

        a.   She had a son named Samuel.  

3.     What did she do next?

       a. She gave him to God and he grew up in the temple. Then she sang God’s praises.

Deeper:

            Hannah is a very important woman in the Old Testament. She is considered a model for a faithful woman by New Testament writers. Mary’s song found after she discovers her miraculous pregnancy is considered to be modeled after Hannah’s song for her miraculous pregnancy.  After Jesus birth, a woman very similar to Hannah, named Anna meets Jesus in the temple. Anna was widowed young and chooses to not remarry. That means she will never bear a child. We discover her as a woman of prayer in the temple, like Hannah.

            As important as she is to New Testament writers, Hannah should be an important model for our faith as well. She had nothing but faith. In her worship, she poured out a broken heart so earnestly, the priest told her she should be embarrassed of herself. She comes to the Lord with her anguish and grief.

            Despite the priests’ disgust, God hears her cries and blesses her. She keeps her vows made to God. Can you imagine? She had waited so long and tried so hard to have that baby, and she gives him back to God. We know she never stops loving her child. We discover as he grows us, she brings him a new robe every year. Her faithfulness is in stark contrast to the priest’s own sons who seem to be forgotten.

            Hannah teaches us so much about worship. Worship is not just joy, thanksgiving, and praise. It isn’t just saying how great God is. It isn’t just celebrating. True worship is when we come to God honestly. When, with raw disappointment, we pray and plead. True worship is not looking like everyone else on Sunday morning. It is not being silently reverent or singing loud. It is not standing or sitting at the right times. Rather, it is being who we are in our brokenness and our joy regardless of who else is in the room. It is meeting God and talking to him about the state of our hearts. It is giving up pretenses and forgetting about what others think to speak with God.

            Hannah’s story is about redemption. Her prayer that was ridiculed found its way to God’s heart. And when God blessed her, she came to God singing his praises.

           

Personal Reflection:

How do you pray? Have you ever been embarrassed when praying in front of others?

Prayers to Practice:

ACTS:

1.      Adoration – “God you are…”

2.      Confession “God I am not…”

3.      Thankgiving “God thank you for…”

4.      Supplication “God, please help…with…”

5-Finger Prayer

1.      Thumb: Pray for those who are closest to us

2.      Pointer: Pray for those who point to God

3.      Middle: Pray for Government leaders

4.      Ring: Pray for the weakest (sick, grieving)

5.      Pinky: Pray for self

Breath prayer:

            (breathe in) Jesus Son of God

            (breath out)Have mercy on me, a sinner