Week: Prayer - Hannah
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Father God, as we draw near to You, please draw near to us too. Teach us to pray. Speak, Lord, we’re listening.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Zoë
Jeremiah 29:12
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we’re REFLECTING on a brave prayer Hannah prayed. Hannah was feeling deeply upset because she was unable to have a baby. Hannah and her husband travelled to a place called Shiloh for a special time of worship. While she was there, she went to the temple, and prayed.
Read by Zoë
1 Samuel 1:10-11a
Hannah was so sad that she cried and prayed to the Lord. She made a promise, saying, ‘Lord All-Powerful, see how sad I am. Remember me and don’t forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life.’
1 Samuel 1:10-11a (NCV)
In her distress, Hannah prayed and asked God to give her a son. She promised God that if He answered her prayer, she would give up her son for Him. She said that her son would be set apart for God and would serve God for all of his life. That’s a pretty brave prayer!
Hannah knew that God had the power to answer her prayer, so she boldly asked God for what she needed. Hannah’s example shows us that God cares about us and we can always ask for what we need.
In today’s passage, Hannah made a promise to God. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What promises have we made? How hard was it to keep them?
We can always ASK God for what we need. Let’s do that together now.
Father God, we know that You love us and care for us. If we find ourselves in need today, remind us to boldly come to You in prayer and ASK for Your help.
If we’re feeling particularly brave we could share with one another what we’ve asked God for so that others can pray for us too.
Sometimes, people pray and ask God for something for a long time, and nothing happens. We don’t always know why God doesn’t always answer our prayers, but we can trust that He always hears us and loves us more than we can imagine.
Who do we know that has a big, unanswered prayer? Let’s picture them in our minds and pray for them.
Loving God, we read in the Bible that, ‘You keep track of all our sadness, You have collected all our tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book,’ (Psalm 56:8). We ASK that our friends and family would feel Your love, even when their prayers aren’t answered. Bring peace to their hearts and help them to trust You, even when it’s difficult.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
1 Samuel 1:10-11a
Hannah was so sad that she cried and prayed to the Lord. She made a promise, saying, ‘Lord All-Powerful, see how sad I am. Remember me and don’t forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life.’
1 Samuel 1:10-11a (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord God, we say YES to praying persistently. We know that You are a good God and that You hear our prayers even when we say the same thing again and again.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Jeremiah 29:12
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Zoë Thandeka (Thandi) lives in Guildford, in the UK, with her family. She loves football (her favourite football team is Liverpool FC), Top Gear and car-spotting. When she’s older, Zoë wants to be a photographer or work with animals in some way.
