Hannah: The Cry Of Desperation

“I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” — 1 Samuel 1:15 ESV  

“Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived… And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.” — 1 Samuel 2:21 ESV   

God’s plans for your life are bigger than you. Your prayers outlive you. There is abundant life in death to self. In fact, God is working a process of persuading you to put your all on the altar, so that he can be all-in-all in your life. Hannah was in a place of desperation. This desperation was emerging from a delayed delivery, a dead dream, and a discouragement from what she felt like was a divine denial. She wanted to have a son, but finding no ability to fulfill the dream in her flesh, she cried out to the Lord and dedicated her son-to-be to him. “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever… For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:22, 27-28 ESV). 

Hannah knew she was blessed by God with Samuel, but she definitely did not realize the magnitude of what God did with her offering of giving her son back to the Lord to serve Him. Samuel was not only a prophet, but he was actually responsible for establishing what is almost universally believed to be the first “School of Prophets” in Israel (1 Samuel 19:20). That means later on in the biblical chronology, when you see Elijah and Elisha being used by God to defeat Jezebel and do mighty miracles and raise the dead, they were living in a prophetic anointing that started with Samuel and accumulated within this school of prophets. Hannah didn’t just birth Samuel for the purpose of destiny; God used Hannah’s cry and Samuel’s life to create legacy.

Pour out your prayers and tears on the altar. Die to self and watch your legacy live long after you are gone. You have no idea how your prayers will echo throughout generations and into eternity.

------------------
This blog is an excerpt from Robert Presson’s devotional book, “People Of His Presence,” available on Amazon: Click here to purchase on Amazon.  Alternatively, the book is available for free when you give a donation of any amount to City Revival Ministries at  cityrevivalnola.com/give. Please indicate that you would like the book when you give.