Commemoration of Hannah
September 2, 2012
The Lord be with you
Hannah was the favored wife of Elkanah, the Ephraimite, and
the devout mother of the prophet Samuel (Samuel is commemorated on August 20.)
He was born to her after years of bitter barrenness (1 Samuel 1:6-8). After she
weaned her son, Hannah expressed her gratitude by returning him for service in
the house of the Lord at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:24-28). (In America,
we are quick to wean our children, so you might think Samuel was 18 months or
2-years old. However, in the days of Hannah, children were not weaned until
they were 5-years old, or even older.) Hannah’s prayer (psalm) of thanksgiving
(1 Samuel 2:1-10) begins with the words “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord.” This song foreshadows the
Magnificat, the Song of Mary centuries later (Luke 1:46-55). The name Hannah
derives from the Hebrew word for “grace.” She is remembered and honored for
joyfully having kept the vow she made before her son’s birth and offering him
for lifelong service to God.
Prayer: God the
Father Almighty, maker of all things, You looked on the affliction of Your
barren servant Hannah and did not forget her but answered her prayers with the
gift of a son. So hear our supplications and petitions and fill our emptiness,
granting us trust in Your provision, so that we, like Hannah, might render unto
You all thankfulness and praise, and delight in the miraculous birth of Your
Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever. Amen.
Other things Hannah
might inspire us to pray about:
- For a richer prayer life
- For patience in trying circumstances
- For others in trying circumstances
- For the childless
- For a servant heart
- That the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord, may reach others through us
Blessings in Christ
Pastor John Rickert
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