Today's daily devotion

Joy and Thankfulness

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”—1 SAMUEL 2:1–2 NIV

Hannah had prayed for years for a child. In those days, not bearing a child was a sign of disgrace, a sign that you had somehow displeased God. Hannah felt this stigma keenly.

God answered her prayers, and she followed through on her vow to deliver the child, Samuel, to live at the temple in service to the Lord. The name Samuel means “heard by God.” While it is difficult to imagine how a mother could give up her only child in this way, Hannah is rejoicing.

Hannah’s focus is not on herself. She is praising God. She is telling others what He has done for her. She has surrendered all that is precious to her to the Lord and is trusting in Him.

How hard it is for us to do this! We worry and we fret and we wonder where God has gone when we don’t see Him answering our prayers in the way we think it should happen. Let’s follow Hannah’s example and praise the Lord. Let’s tell others of how He is working in our lives.