What are you currently praying for that has you feeling like God will never answer it? I have a prayer that extends past three decades. The longer the wait, the more apt you and I are to becoming disgruntled, fatigued, and may I admit, hopeless? You ponder what God is doing and why He isn’t answering your prayer, especially if its a good one like the salvation of another person.
In the Old Testament, you read about a woman named Hannah. God had a plan to use her for His Kingdom. Until God answered her long awaited prayer, she had to endure discouragement that could have derailed her faith. You read about her story in 1 Samuel 1 and the the first 11 verses of chapter 2. Hannah along with Peninnah were married to Elkanah. In the Old Testament, men were allowed to be married to more than one woman. My husband would go, “No way! One wife is hard enough!” Peninnah was a Fertile Myrtle. She popped out children like it was nobody’s business, making her husband proud. Hannah, on the other hand, could not.
She would pray and pray for God to bless her with children, but it seemed hopeless. Year after year Hannah would not only remain barren, but it was shoved in her face by the other wife. She had to endure taunting.
Despite a broken heart, Hannah continued to call on God for her heart’s desire. She understood that God had the ability to answer her prayers. In due time, the Lord remembered Hannah’s plea and she gave birth to a boy named Samuel; see 1 Samuel 1:19-20. If you know anything about the Old Testament, God used Samuel in life changing ways to help bring about God’s redemptive plan of salvation. You can read about Samuel’s life in 1 and 2 Samuel.
Let’s pay closer attention to 1 Samuel 2:1-11 and see how Hannah responded to her long awaited answered prayer. I am humbled by her heart. She waited and waited for her own child. When she finally had her son, she gave him over to be used fully by God. She did not hold on to Samuel for herself! She allowed God to have His way in her life and also her little baby’s life.
Oh, to have a heart like Hannah’s.
Before her prayer, she speaks of a wonderful truth that reveals God’s love within her obedient heart, “Now I am giving him to the Lord and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.”28 May we all have a heart like Hannah’s when God answers our prayers.
Everything you and I have belong to God. May we keep this reality in its proper place.
Notice Hannah’s perspective. Her heart rejoiced in the Lord more than over her firstborn son. She recognized that the Lord is the one that makes her strong. She can praise the Lord for He rescues her (from her sad heart as she waited upon the Lord). She fully understood that “there is no Rock like our God.”2 Jump down to verse 21 and see how God gave her 4 more children! God blessed Hannah’s perseverance in keeping her faith focused on Him.
The rest of her prayer shows her renewed confidence in how God worked in her life. Verse 3 reflects the haughty heart of Peninnah, and God knows every heart. The following verses reveal how God is the giver and taker of all things. He has control over the rich and the poor, over death and life. And in it all, “He will protect His faithful ones.”9
At the end of verse 8, you read how God has enlightened her heart, “For all the earth is the Lord’s, and He has set the world in order.” God not only enlightened her heart, but He strengthened her body, soul, and mind. She was filled with the goodness of God.
You are filled with His goodness, and better yet, His presence, when you don’t lose hope and you keep praying until God answers your plea. No matter how long you have to pray, and no matter what you have to endure while you wait, God is never lazy and uninterested in what you care about. In His time, He will answer you. For Hannah, it came at a later time. She had to watch the other wife make their husband proud, but in the end, Hannah experienced the greater blessings that are eternal.
So, what are you praying for? As you wait, like I am, may Hannah’s perseverance in her Lord along with having a thankful, humble heart, keep your faith intact. Answered prayers will come when God says the timing is right. There is nothing you or I can do to make Him move faster. His plan has been set before the world even was created. His plan of salvation will come to fruition when He says so.
In the meantime, keep looking up at your Heavenly Father, continue to repent and allow Jesus to change your from a sinner’s lifestyle to a holy lifestyle. Remember, He is preparing you for Kingdom living one day. Study the Bible daily and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you closer to Jesus. When the Spirit speaks, walk in obedience. And through it all, talk to God about everything and anything for He truly cares for you.
May you and I have hearts like Hannah.
Carol J German 