Powerful Prayer: Hannah's Story, Hannah's Prayer

Welcome/Prayer Practice Check-in/Prayer/ Intro

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning? This morning we are continuing our series this morning on powerful prayer!

Recap On Prayer Practice- How did praying through the Lord’s prayer go this week?

I must make a confession this was a difficult practice for me to embrace.

Wednesday: I sat down to pray through it and go to the line about forgive us our sins as we forgive others, and I got stuck. The Spirit brought to my mind someone I did not want to forgive. It has been difficult to process that and I can definitely affirm that for some situations forgiveness is a journey.

Prayer:

Intro: have you ever had a specific prayer request that you remember that God answered or one that serves as a testimony for you to share with others?

Transition as we just shared every prayer has a story or testimony behind it. this morning we will be exploring Hannah’s story and the subsequent prayer that she brings before Yahweh.

Walking through the Text:

Context and Characters:

This story takes place after the judges period, but before the united monarch.

The main Characters are Elkanah, Peninnah, and Hannah. (Wives of Peninnah)

Hannah’s Story

Hannah is the wife of Elkanah , whom He loves, but cannot produce any children.

Peninnah is the other wife who has given birth to several children

Hannah suffers not only from her infertility, but is mocked and hated by the Peninnah. Furthermore, when the would go on their family trips to the temple Peninnah would mock and bother her

Yet, Elkanah loved Hannah and tried to make up for it by providing her with a double portion of the sacrifice.

For context this was a fellowship offering in which some of the sacrifice was given to God and the other part was shared with the family. One person described this as a barbeque in which God and the family shared.

A double portion of meat or extra steak may console a man, but not Hannah

I want to point out that the text clearly says that Hannah is unfairly treated and hated by Peninnah, but what we also see is a great example of how to deal with Peninnah’s in our life.

Hannah doesn't fire back or get even, but is to go to the lord crying and fasting.

Next, we see Hannah praying to the Lord, not as a vent session to God but a desperate plea for God to listen.

Hannah’s Vow:

Hannah makes a vow before God which was pretty common in the ancient near east.

She says, if God can do something that seems impossible to her, she will dedicate that gift to the God.

Maybe compare Jephthahs vow here.

The Priest, Eli , nearby hears her prayer and accuses her of being drunk

Once again Hannah is attacked and accused, yet she doesn't lash out.

The text says after praying she ate food and wasn't sad

I propose that must've been one of two things: Ice cream or chocolate amen?

Later on Hannah does conceive and gives birth to a son and names him Samuel which literally means, I asked the Lord for Him.

At the appropriate time she fulfills the vow she made before God and it is through the story of Hannah that God continues his plan for His people. This is a pivotal point in Israel’s story.

Transition: Turn in your Bibles to chapter 2 and we are going to walk through Hannah’s prayer of praise to the Lord for giving her a son.

Hannah’s Prayer

N.T. Wright outlines three steps of prayer in times of Crisis and Need.

You come to Yahweh, and urge God to do something and then you hope that God makes a commitment to you in this conversation - thats stage one of the prayer - to which you respond with trust and praise

Stage 2- God does act in some way, but this process doesn't come to completion and closure until you come back and give thanks to God. Wright says this should be done publicly in worship settings so that your faith community can join you in praise and increase their trust in God too.

Hannah’s prayer marks the closure to her struggle with infertility, but serves as a testimony to the work of God in her life.

Before we dive into the prayer I think its important to note these quick facts about the prayer:

There is no direct reference to God giving her a baby.

Given the reference to Enemies, warriors, princes and a King this is probably a song that Hannah adapted from one she learned in local worship.

Lastly, this prayer was the model for Mary’s Song or the Magnificat that Mary would sing after finding out God’s work in her life!

Hannah’s Prayer

Verse 1

This is a song of praise rooted in who the Lord is not what He has done.

Note the use of battle language with the phrase Horn being lifted up

Hannah says she boasts over her enemies, (We could assume this is Peninnah) ,but thats not true.

If we assume she is talking about Peninnah as her enemy, God answering Hannah’s prayer is her revenge against Peninnah hatred and insults

But if we view Hannah’s enemy is being barren and God has delivered her.

Verse 2

Highlights who God is here and his nature!

Verse 3:

Hannah is giving a warning to others, she seems to give advice here.

This also serves as comfort as a reminder that God does know.

Its also God that weighs our deeds not our puffed up talk.

Verses 4-5

Hannah speaks of people in various situations fail on their own strength.

Note: She says the woman who has birthed many son eventually grows weak and thin as she “pines away.”

Verses 6-8

I want to point out How much directional language there is in these three verses about the actions of God.

This really speaks to God’s hand in the lives of people, but it lays out how God uses directional power to lift up the needy and the poor.

Verses 9-10

Verse 9 speaks to God’s commitment to Justice as he is the defender of the faithful, but the wicked will be silenced.

Next, we see a repetition of Battle language that Hannah used in verse 1.

The prayer ends with a proclamation and prophecy

The proclamation is that God will be the ultimate judge to the ends of Earth

The prayer ends with a prophecy about God’s King and Anointed one

This is important because at this point Israel does not have a king, but speaks to a future that her son will help bring into reality!

Application:

Prayer Practices for this week:

For those of you like me who struggled with the Lord’s prayer last week, please continue praying through the Lord’s prayer.

The Prayer Challenge for this week is to write your own prayer like Hannah’s prayer in response to a situation or season of life.

Include the Following:

Praise to God

Description of his Character/Nature

What he calls us to focus on

What advice would you give to another person in the situation/season

Wrap up with a proclamation of about God that is enduring

Writing/Sharing

As you write these prayers, I would love if a few people would be willing to have their prayer read over the next couple weeks during worship. If you wished you could remain anonymous. I would like to have 3-5 prayers from people, so please contact me if your willing to do this.

Benediction

4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.