1 Samuel 1:20 Before the year was out, Hannah had conceived and given birth to a son. She named him Samuel, explaining, “I asked God for him.”

Every year Elkanah and his family went up to the temple, where they worshipped the Lord and offered sacrifices to Him. His one wife, Hannah, was childless, which was deeply painful and a source of shame for her.

One of Elkanah’s other wives was very jealous of Hannah, because there was a special bond between Elkanah and Hannah. She teased Hannah and made fun of her for her infertility.

There in the temple, Hannah poured out her whole heart before God. She prayed so intensely that Eli, the high priest, thought she was drunk. However, when she told him about her problem and that she had made a promise to God that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to God, Eli pronounced his blessing upon her.

The text then says so beautifully: The Lord remembered her. This does not mean that God had forgotten her. It means that God acted according to His faithfulness and at His perfect time. And the miracle happened: Hannah became pregnant.

Samuel was born and, true to her promise, she later took him to the temple. Samuel later played a major role in the history of Israel as a prophet. He anointed Saul and David, among others.

God heard Hannah’s prayer. God saw her heart and gave her what she so desperately wanted. God still hears our prayers today. Prayer is not just a last resort, but the place where God hears your pain, touches your heart and opens the door in His time. Even today.

Sometimes we hold our cards so tightly to our chest and don’t want to tell anyone what we’re struggling with. Maybe we’re ashamed or maybe we just don’t know how to overcome the challenge we’re facing.

In times like these we must do what Hannah did and lay it all before God. And even if the solution doesn’t come yet, we, like her, will also find peace, because that’s how God works. Just trust Him.

Prayer
Father, I come and kneel before You, because I struggle terribly and I can’t go on anymore. Give me peace and please give me a solution …

Questions
What “baggage” am I currently carrying that I have not yet honestly laid before God?
Am I willing to share everything, even my deepest pain, with God?
Do I trust God’s timing, even if it takes longer than I would like?

Do this now
Write down today what is bothering or hurting you the most and talk to God about it.
Be silent for a few minutes and tell God everything as Hannah did, honestly and without filters.
Choose not to cling to the problem today, but to symbolically “let go” of it by saying, “Lord, it’s now in Your hands.”