Hannah's prayer for a child makes me weep.
Tears of empathy. Of sorrow. Of humility. Of weakness.
Tears of joy.
So many babies are conceived but not wanted.So many children are discarded, neglected, unloved. Abandoned.
Hannah would have taken them all, so great was her desire for a child.
Some find returning a portion of their gifts to the Lord to be a hardship; Hannah knew it to be a blessing, so she pledged it all.
"Give me a son, and I'll give him back to you," Hannah prayed.
The Lord answered her prayer, and in turn she fulfilled her vow to Him.
I can't even imagine having Hannah's faith, but I can pray for it.
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon 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 1:9-12
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