Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. (1 Samuel 1:2 NIV)
Dear Father, for a long time now, I have been labeled as 'the one with no child.' In my family, peer group, and office, and even in church, almost all my batch mates have children, except my wife and I.
So Father, only You can change this.
But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5 NIV)
Receiving a double portion is fine and wonderful. But what good is it if I can’t enjoy it with my own child?
Oh, dear Lord, please open my wife's womb. I am done asking why it is this way, but by Your grace, You have stretched my faith to ask you instead to open my wife's womb.
Oh Lord, You are always good. There are things I don't fully understand, but it doesn't mean You have been unkind. Just because my wife has not been pregnant all this time doesn't mean You are unkind. But You have given us this promise, not to tease us, but for You to fulfill as our hearts get prepared for it.
Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. (1 Samuel 1:6 NIV)
And Lord, this does not escape your attention, that because we are childless, our antagonists bully us and make fun of us. But for whatever reason they may have to provoke us, it really doesn't matter. What truly matters is that You come and end our childlessness.
Oh Lord, for the glory of Your name, for the honor of Your reputation, please open my wife's womb. Be glorified and worshiped by causing my wife to conceive.
This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. (1 Samuel 1:7 NIV)
My Lord, I keep on coming back here to this same thing, year after year after year. Sometimes, I forget what I started believing in the first place, and just see the taunting and provoking. Dear Lord, I don't want to lose sight of your promise. I want to move on from here... with our baby in my arms.
In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “ 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, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10, 11 NIV)
And so Lord, here I am, praying in deep anguish and bitter weeping. Please look on me and my wife, your servants, with favor, and feel our misery. Remember us, oh Lord, and give us a baby.
My Lord and my God, all that I am is Yours. We are all yours. The child to be born to us is Yours. We are all yours all the days of our lives. With child or not, we are still Yours, now and forever.
Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” (1 Samuel 1:19-20 NIV)
Oh Lord, I will never slack in worshiping you. I go early to my church service hour, I will arise and prepare my heart for worship. And as my wife and I get together, please remember us.
How wonderful can it be that after praying this, in nine months hereon I'll have a baby! Hallelujah!
Dear Father, in due time, please cause my wife to conceive. This is something that only You can do.
Please remember our plea, our request, our petition, this very thing that we ask of you. And we know we have asked the right Person. Oh Father, we ask for our very own 'Samuel' - a baby as answer to our prayers for you are the God who hears.
And because you are a very mindful Father - you do not forget, nor would you ignore us – so then we will have a baby.
Hannah’s Epilogue:
I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:27-28 NIV)
Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:19-21 NIV)