We’ve all known them, those men or women who just seem to have some special access to God. Their prayers send messages of power, peace and assurance that positive responses to their prayers are always on their way. We say, “I want Hannah praying for me,” or “I’ve got to get (you insert the name) to pray for this,” because we just have confidence their prayers are answered, while we aren’t as sure about ours. 

Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 1:9–15), which received a miraculous response, is worth examining. Hannah’s need was so devastating in her life that she wept bitterly and couldn’t even eat. I’ve been there and I know more than a few of you have been there as well. She prayed with such physical anguish that all she could do is silently pour out her heart. Her lips moved but there was no sound. Hannah’s prayer was so emotional that she appeared to be drunk! Perhaps her body even wrenched and quivered repeatedly. Haven’t you ever had times of prayer when you couldn’t find the words? Isn’t that when we depend on the Holy Spirit to speak for us? But her actual prayer is inspiring because the very essence of her supplication, which is for her barren womb to birth a child, she plans to give back to the Lord! How many times have you tried that? Certainly it seems counterintuitive that if we receive what we are praying for, that we would immediately return it. But perhaps, an element of our prayers could be that we’d offer to find a way to give it back. May I suggest that the lesson here is to recognize that God owns everything and woven into the power of Hannah’s prayer is knowing “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away … blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

Would my prayers have more power if I followed Hannah’s example to give it back?

Rev. Harold Hazen, Fort Wayne, Ind.