Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—1 Samuel 1:12-20
by: Matthew Berg.
Many times prayer begins as Hannah’s did—in pain and with tears. But while the prayer resulted from Hannah’s pain, it was not confined to it. It took the form of a vow. By casting her prayer as a vow, Hannah involved herself responsibly, even sacrificially, in her prayer for she both asked and gave. She asked for a child from God, but she also gave this child back to God. Her generosity was as integral to her prayer as her poverty. God is looking for people who are personally involved in their prayers—ready participants in bringing them into being.