A Life of True Worship (1 Samuel 1:21-2:10) | Food for Thought
1 Samuel 1:1-20
Food for Thought:
Answered prayers are for the Lord. Hannah had vowed to offer a child given to her from the Lord back to the Lord as a servant with the priests in Shiloh.
Is it surprising that in her longing to bear a son, she’d be so quick and willing to give him away once she received him? What’s that make you wonder / feel?
In what ways are answered prayers not just meant for you, but for the Lord?
Hannah’s answered prayer wasn’t the end. How does this challenge not just how you ask of things from the Lord, but why and what you do when he answers?
Keeping our word at a cost. Even though Hannah (and Elkanah, I’m sure!) were excited to have a son, neither got in the way of her promise to bring him back to Shiloh… for good!
Is this something that you can imagine yourself doing? …even if it’s what you told God you’d do?
Do you think Hannah was giving away her blessing from the Lord? Why or why not?
What would’ve been the cost of keeping her son instead of taking him to Shiloh?
What’s the gain from keeping her word?
Why is it important for you to keep your word - even when it comes at a cost? Is there a situation that comes to mind?
Are there any parallels or pointers to Jesus, the only Son of God whom the Father (…and Mary!) offered into the service of the Lord?
Worship is the right response to answered prayers. Eli was stirred to worship because Hannah had been faithful and returned to tell of God’s faithfulness. Hannah was stirred to worship because of God’s faithfulness.
Response. Whether or not you know it, you’re always responding to something. Responding to God’s faithfulness always leads to worship for those in Christ. Do you ever think of prayer as one of those responses? When is the last time you prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord?
Hannah was responding to God’s activity in specific events in her life, but her prayer encompasses much more about God and his relationship to the world. Why do you think that is?
Can you look at God’s activity in your own life and tie it to his nature, character, and patterns in the way he relates with us?
How was Hannah’s faithfulness a part of Eli’s worship? How does this make your faithfulness more significant than mere obedience?
Reversal. Knowing what Hannah’s previous trips to Shiloh were like (1:1-20), how had God changed things for her? How had God changed her? How does this theme show up in her prayer?
How has your worship changed over time in light of God’s activity in you and your life?
It’s hard to imagine that Hannah wasn’t thinking a little bit about Peninnah when she was referring to her enemies. What do you think about what she declares in her prayer about God’s foes? Why can she pray those things in a sacred, humble (no arrogant!) way?
How can you let yourself begin to pray that boldly - not in asking for anything, but for responding to who God is and what he’s already done?