Did I Really Pray For That?

Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:19-20

Hannah’s Prayer

Elkanah had two wives and one of them, Hannah, was barren. Desperate and despondent, Hannah prays to the Lord essentially asking, “Give me a son and I will in turn give him back to You.” God answers Hannah’s genuine and sincere prayer.

Although the Bible doesn’t record it, I suspect this was not Hannah’s first prayer regarding this issue; we know she was a Godly women. The passage implies however that this was the first time she prayed in accordance with the Lord’s will. God had a plan for this child (Samuel) that would require His bringing the parents to a special place of prayerful submission. Hannah would have her son, but it would be on God’s terms. Therefore, it stands to reason that when we cannot seemingly come to terms with God, the answer might be, “When you change your heart, we’ll come back to this matter.”

The reality is that prayer changes us and we cannot change God. As we pray and as God answers (He does respond to every prayer a believer raises), we are conformed and our petitions begin to align themselves with His plan–it’s a process we must willingly submit ourselves to. It is then we are truly in prayerful-harmony with the Creator of the universe!

God Doesn’t Answer My Prayers

What stands out from today’s verse selection is that Hannah remembered what she prayed for and gave thanks. We might initially think, “Of course she remembered; this answered prayer was huge and miraculous,” but keep in mind the prayer request was over nine months old. As an application I would ask everyone (myself included), “Do we recall what we prayed for nine months ago?” If we don’t, then how do we know if our prayers are being addressed. Would it not be a shame if a prayer was answered and we forget to give thanks?

Should We Journal Our Prayers?

Journaling is a useful tool and could serve to prevent prayer-layering, the process of layering requests because we have forgotten what we previously have prayed for. An example of prayer layering might be, “Lord, I pray that I might learn to be fully dependant on You for all my needs,” and then praying six months later, “Lord, please move my boss to give me a raise.”

Forgetting and layering only serves to contradict and confuse. God’s answer to layered prayers might not be, “No,” but rather “slow down buddy, we’re still working through the first one!” It’s a trap we all fall into occasionally; I know I have.

I recently prayed for a sign from God before heading down to Haiti on a mission trip. What I had forgotten is that I had years previously told the Lord that I desired to walk by faith and not by sight and that I’d rather He didn’t give me signs before He moved me to do something. It was after going to Haiti by faith that the Lord reminded me of my earlier appeal and how He was abiding in my request.

As for journaling, I don’t as of yet, but that’s just because I have gotten into the habit of praying with others or telling others what I have been praying for. The point is that God does not ignore His children and if you are one who believes He does, you might need to begin jotting prayers down in order to discover the truth and faithfulness of God.