Who Was Hannah? A Mother's Faithful Prayer

Hannah's story is one of the most moving in the Bible — a heartbroken woman whose faithful prayer was answered, and who then gave her long-awaited son back to God. Here's who Hannah was.

A deep heartache

Hannah longed for a child but was unable to have one, and she bore this grief for years, made worse by the taunts of another. Her sorrow was deep and real. Rather than growing bitter, though, she brought her heartache to God, weeping and praying at the house of the Lord.

Pouring out her heart

Hannah's prayer was so intense and heartfelt that the priest Eli at first thought she was drunk. She explained she was 'a woman of a sorrowful spirit,' pouring out her soul to God. She held nothing back, bringing her raw grief honestly before him — a beautiful model of desperate, faith-filled prayer.

A vow and an answer

In her prayer, Hannah vowed that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate him to God's service. God answered, and she named her son Samuel, saying, 'For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition.' Her faithful prayer was heard and answered.

A costly surrender

Most remarkably, Hannah kept her vow. Once Samuel was old enough, she brought him to serve at the tabernacle, giving her long-awaited, deeply loved son back to God. Her surrender was costly, and she responded with a song of praise rather than regret. Samuel became one of Israel's greatest prophets.

Hannah was a woman of faithful prayer and costly surrender — pouring out her heartache to God, receiving the son she longed for, and then giving him back to the Lord. Her story models honest, desperate prayer and open-handed trust. It reminds us that God hears the cries of the hurting, and that what we surrender to him, he can use in ways beyond our imagining.