Heard of God

Heard of God

1 Samuel 1:20 – By the time of the next year’s sacrifice, Hannah had become pregnant and had borne a son. She named him Samuel because she said, “I asked the LORD for him.”

verse 26 – Hannah said, “Sir, as surely as you are alive, I’m the woman who stood before you here praying to the LORD. 27 – I prayed for this boy, and the LORD granted me the request I asked of him. 28 – Now I’m dedicating him to the LORD, and as long as he lives, he will be dedicated to the LORD.” Then they worshiped the LORD there.

According to the ‘Strong’s’ dictionary, Samuel’s name comes from two Hebrew words: ‘Shama’ and ‘El’ which means ‘heard of God’. Hannah named Samuel after her experience of God answering her prayer and now she was going to give her first-born son back to God.

Have you had ‘Samuel’ experiences where God has heard and answered your prayers? Those experiences are indisputable proof that God exists. It is amazing that Hannah chose not to hold on to her son but that she was going to dedicate him to the LORD for “as long as he lives.”

What have we done with all our answered prayers? Are we still plagued with doubt about whether God really cares? How many more answered prayers will it take before we are convinced that He cares totally and completely? For Hannah, all it took was one answer – This doesn’t mean that she stopped praying. It means she no longer doubted. What else did Hannah do? She took the time to pray to God in thanksgiving:

1 Samuel 2:1 – Then Hannah prayed: “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is increased by the LORD. I will open my mouth to speak against my enemies, because I rejoice in your deliverance. 2 – Indeed, there is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one beside you, there is no rock like our God.

Verse 3 – Don’t continue to talk proudly, and don’t speak arrogantly, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, an by him actions are weighed. 4 – The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumble are equipped with strength.

There are more ‘Samuels’ in our lives than we realize. We are heard of God because God cares. Let us take the time today to not only keep asking God for blessings but to make sure we also Thank Him for the blessings we have received. Hannah’s prayer testified that there is no one like our God. If you are humbled now, bring your pain to God – He will “Shama El” – He will hear you. He will raise you up. He will increase your strength. And He will deliver you!