1 Samuel 1:10, 15, 16, 20 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore….I am a woman of sorrowful spirit, but have poured out my soul before the Lord….Out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto….She bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked him of the Lord.
Hannah, the second wife of Elkanah, was barren with no children, while Penninah, the other wife had children. Barrenness was regarded as a terrible curse in those days, especially in competition with another wife. Hannah was grieved and bitter, but she believed God and turned to the Lord in her sorrow. She prayed and wept and poured out her soul unto the Lord.
This is a good definition of prayer: pour your heart out. Give to the Lord what you are thinking and feeling. The father knows what you need before you ask him, but He wants us to ask, so that our faith will make the connection between our need, us, and God. Asking deepens our relationship with God. Pouring your heart out grows out of faith and grows our faith.
The simple cliche, “Let go and let God,” is not so simple, but profound, and very hard to do. We need the help and presence of the Holy Spirit to believe it. “Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.” We respond to our problems and situations by praying our troubled soul before the Lord. We make the connection and God hears, and cares.
Bitterness, sorrow, complaint, and grief are often companions of ours, but we also have a friend in Jesus. “O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” What a Friend!
God answered her prayer and gave her a son. Hannah knew this was God’s gift and miraculous answer, and not a coincidence. She named the boy Samuel, which means, “Asked of God.” She acknowledged the Lord’s answer and gave thanks. Samuel grew up to be a blessing, a prophet, and true man of God.