Moral Outcry

In this blog, I am going to dive into a study of Hannah, Samuel's mother. You can read about her in 1 Samuel 1-2. If you have not read my other blogs, I encourage you to read them in order to fully understand my reasoning for talking about Hannah. There are so many things that I would love to share with you, but I will start with talking about Hannah as an intercessor.

There are MANY intercessors in scripture that we could talk about, but Hannah is one of my favorites. With the exception of Jesus, the Lord encourages me through her life as an intercessor more than any other person that has walked the earth. I think I am encouraged by her life and testimony the most, because I relate to it so well and long to live a life as she did. Hannah was the wife of a Levite and the mother of 6 children. She was the stay at home mom who cried out for her nation! Most of the scripture that tells us Hannah's story takes place, as she is barren and asking God for a son, Samuel. Not only was Hannah barren at this time, the nation of Israel was barren as well. 1 Samuel 3:1 tells us that, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days.” Hannah cried out to the Lord in the temple. She wept so bitterly that she appeared foolish and drunk to the priest, Eli. In addition, immorality was even taking place in the temple through Eli's sons. Hannah cried out for a son but promised to dedicate him to the Lord as a Nazirite when he was born (1 Samuel 1:11). Finally the Lord blessed her with Samuel, and she kept her vow to the Lord. She “brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young” (1 Samuel 1:24). I believe she prayed for her son and dedicated Him for a great purpose far beyond her own personal desire for a son.

Hannah stood righteously before the Lord understanding the times in which she lived. She saw the immorality. She saw Israel turning from her God. We know this through her song of thankfulness to the Lord when Samuel is born. It is interesting that throughout the song, she never specifically thanks the Lord for giving her a child. Instead, she praises Him for his righteous judgments. She sings prophetically over the nation of Israel. She declares, “those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens, the Lord will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to his king and will exalt he horn of His anointed.” I believe that she had the faith to know that as God answered her prayers for a son, he was also answering her prayers for her nation. He is a God of justice! Samuel was a prophetic sign to the nation as he “ministered to the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:11). As he sat in the temple, he eventually became a prophet, a judge, and a priest! As a result, the nation of Israel began to turn back the Lord.

Hannah understood that she could make a difference! Her prayers moved and shifted a nation! Her faithfulness to the Lord to dedicate Samuel and raise him in the fear of the Lord shifted a nation! She bore fruit in the midst of barrenness through intercession. This is why Hannah encourages me so much! I am currently on staff at the Justice House of Prayer, and I sit in the prayer room on Capitol Hill in the midst of a barren nation and city. Many of you are alone in your prayer closets crying out to Jesus. Many of you are in your work places crying out, or maybe you are the stay at home mom with six children like Hannah! I believe the Lord is calling us all into intense intercession and fasting as Hannah did. We must birth fruit in the place of intercession. I also do not want to overlook Hannah's faithfulness to raise her children in the fear of the Lord! We must do this! They are “like arrows in the hand of a warrior” ready to be sent (Psalm 127:4). They are the upcoming Nazirites as Samuel was. They are the generation that could quite possibly see Jesus come to the earth for His Bride!