Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today, we’ll seek inspiration from a praying mother who trusted God with her whole heart.

Today’s scripture, 1 Samuel 1:10‭-‬18 (NLT), shares…
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Consider…
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and since I will only share a scripture and song, I thought it was important to honor Mother’s with my words today.

Today’s scripture highlights a mother, who epitomizes most mothers I am blessed to have known, or know now.

Let me begin by saying, there’s no one more precious in the life of a child than a praying mother. Today’s scripture highlights that truth, with Samuel’s mother Hannah. Let’s see how.

First, Hannah prayed for a child. The Holy Spirit made me pause here and point out you don’t have to be a biological mother to pray for a child. I know Hannah prayed to have a son, but she was praying for a child that she did not have. That’s the focal point here, praying for a child that is not your own. Most of us have been blessed to have others, who are not our mother, pray for us! So today, allow Hannah to inspire you to pray for a child. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Next, we see Hannah prayed from a sincere heart. Notice, the passage says that she was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed. That reminds me of Jesus in Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-39). Could it be, honesty and sincerity are important parts of prayer. God doesn’t want us to tell Him what we think He wants to hear, He wants us to honestly tell Him what we want. The irony is, it’s about being honest with ourselves, not God, because He already knows before we ask. (Matthew 6:7-8). So today, let Hannah inspire you to be sincere and honest with God 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Continuing on, we see Hannah prioritize God in her prayer. She wanted a son, but not for the reasons you may think. I’ve been taught that during Hannah’s time, having a son was a sign of honor and favor by God. That’s key, because it means Hannah was really asking God to be pleased with her. What would happen, if we shifted our prayer focus from God pleasing us to, Lord help us please You! In case you are wondering what makes me believe Hannah wanted to please God, notice she prayed, “if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime”. This also reveals, she consecrated her child before she conceived him. Who or what do you need to concentrate to God, before you see it? Today, allow Hannah to inspire you to prioritize God in prayer. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

As we read further, we witness Hannah having a private conversation with God. Notice the passage said, “As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound”. This makes me think of Jesus’ teaching on prayer, when He said…
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

• Matthew 6:6 NLT. It’s as if the Lord is saying shut up, to speak up. If you’ve ever been on speaker phone, you understand why God values private conversations. Think about it, public communication is guarded and geared to sway the opinions of those within earshot. However, private conversations are focused on the heart or thought exchange with person we’re conversing with. Today, allow Hannah to inspire you to have one-on-one time in prayer with God. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

The next to the last observation is Hannah’s faith in God’s answer. Look closely at what the scripture said…
“In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Could our ongoing worry and doubt about what we pray for stem from God speaking, but we’re not listening and hearing? You know, like when God shuts doors, and we try to bust them open (relationships, career choices, financial decisions, etc.,). Or when God says walk away, we stay, or vice versa. Make no mistake, God will always make His answer clear if you’re paying attention to Him. He confirms what He says with what He’s already said. If it’s not supported by scripture, it’s not a word from God. Hannah didn’t have the benefit of scripture that we do, but she did have God’s spokesman in the person of the priest Eli. When He relayed God’s yes, Hannah stop being stressed and depressed. Today, allow Hannah to inspire you to get a new attitude based on what God has already promised He would do. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Lastly, Hannah remembered and praised.

First, 1 Samuel 1:24‭-‬28 (NLT) shows Hannah remembered her prayer and promise. The passage says…
When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

How many times do we promise God and forget, with the passage of time. Notice, Hannah reminded Eli, “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.” There’s a valuable gem hidden in Hannah’s words. Implied beneath her words is that Hannah took care of and prepared God’s blessing to give back to Him. Hannah didn’t just take care of Samuel, and allow Him to grow in her womb, she also nurtured God’s beautiful flower until it was time for him to bloom. Today, allow Hannah to inspire you to nurture the seed God plants inside you, and brings forth, until it’s ready to bloom for Him. And to make and keep the promise to give back to God what He has given to you. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Speaking of giving to God, the final and most fitting thing we can learn from Hannah today is her praise. I say that because Hannah recognized the greatness and goodness of God. Look at her praise in 1 Samuel 2:1‭-‬2 (NLT)…
Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Allow Hannah to inspire you to praise God! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Hopefully you kept track, but just in case you didn’t, Hannah, a praying mother, inspires us to…

• Pray for a child
• Be sincere and honest with God
• Prioritize God in prayer
• Pray privately with God because He prefers one-on-one time.
• Get a new attitude based on what God has said He will do
• Nurture the seed that God has granted and brought forth through you, until it’s ready to bloom for Him
• Make and keep the promise to give back to God, who or what He gives to you
• Praise God for the greatness of who He is, and the goodness of what He does, has done, and will do.

For all of the inspiring mothers, I pray…
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. – Numbers 6:24‭-‬26 KJV

Praise God for praying mamas. 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Today’s song is….
I Still Hear Mama Praying

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)