May 19

1 Samuel 1

God gives a child to Hannah and Elkanah, after Hannah’s years of praying for a son.

INSIGHT

The grief of being childless drives Hannah to God. In Him, she finds her only resource for consolation. Even though children may cry when they are taken to a doctor by their parents, they still trust their parents in spite of fear and pain. Similarly we must still trust and cling to the Lord even though we do not understand why He does not deliver us from our pain. Just as children will someday understand about the doctor, we will someday understand about the pain.

PRAYER

Offer your praise to the Lord who will one day make all things in heaven and on earth right:
With righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat….
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:4-6, 9).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions (Psalm 51:1).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Greater faith in the Lord
• A world-wide revival
• Your activities for the day
• Whatever else is on your heart

Finally, offer this closing prayer:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).