Then they rose early in the morning and worshipped before The Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and The Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from The Lord.” 

1 Samuel 1:19-20 (NKJV)

Imagine wanting a child so much that you stop eating. Your husband tries to comfort you, but his efforts fall flat. So you petition The Lord to bless you with a son and He does exactly that. This is the story of Hannah and another reminder of how God doesn’t forget our sincerity in prayer. 

Two Wives And Barrenness

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. While Peninnah flourished with sons and daughters, Hannah was unable to have children. Elkanah tried to comfort his barren wife by giving Hannah double portions of his offerings (1 Samuel 1:5). Still, Peninnah rubbed the fact that Hannah had no children in her face. Things got so bad that Hannah decided to stop eating. 

Now, some would say, “She was being dramatic! It’s not that big of a deal to not be able to have kids.” But this was before modern science and current societal roles. Women who could not have kids by traditional means during Biblical times were regarded as complete failures. Hannah, then, felt worthless to her husband despite his attempts to prove his love. Peninnah certainly helped her rival remain in the sunken place with harsh words and deeds. 

Hannah’s Petition

There are a few amazing things about Hannah’s story, one being her determination to not remain down and out. Instead of starving to death, she decided to petition The Lord for a son. 1 Samuel 1:11 (NKJV) says, 

“Then she made a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to The Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” 

Hannah was determined and sincere in her desire even to the degree of being misunderstood by the priest, Eli, who accused her of drunkenness. She did not open the door for offense when she was accused. Hannah instead remained steadfast in her approach to God. 

God Remembered Hannah, She Remembered Him

1 Samuel 1:19-20 tells us that God remembered Hannah’s request and answered by giving her a son. Hannah, in turn, remembered her vow to God and brought Samuel to the temple to serve under Eli after a period of nursing. 

Of course, Hannah’s story points to the reality of God remembering us when we pray. 1 Samuel 1 also sheds light on the importance of remembering our promises made to God in prayer. We are not just speaking words when we vow to give God our whole hearts. We are not just trying to sound cute or “deep” when we promise to dedicate our lives to His service if He “gets us out of this one.” We are making commitments that we should follow through on.

Final Thought

God expects us to follow up on our promises to Him. He expects us to make good on our vows. So it’s important to remember that:

• God never forgets our sincere prayers to Him.
• You are not talking to the wind or sky but to a sovereign Lord who is taking in every word you speak.
• God expects you to follow up with promises made to Him in prayer because, after all, He never twisted your arm to make them in the first place. 

Reflections

1. Prayer is not “Let’s Make A Deal” with God. We know He does what He wants. But have you ever felt the need to make a vow to God from your heart? How did you fulfill it? Are you in the middle of fulfilling it now?
2. Was there ever a time you felt like God didn’t hear your prayers? How did you handle that?