Scripture Readings

1 Samuel 1:23-2:26,  Proverbs 2:1-3:10,   Jeremiah 1:11-2:3

Prayer

Daily Prayer Rule for Great Lent

Reflection

they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.

1 Samuel 1:25-27

Like many of the Old Testament’s most prominent figures, Samuel was born of a barren woman. This was also the case for Sara, Rebekah, Rachel and Elizabeth. The Bible highlights the special role God played in their birth. Their parents recognized their birth as a divine miracle and gift because these events took place when they were about to lose hope and give up.

Could Hannah recognize how God was working within her life and see the divine miracle being forged through the dark clouds of her suffering and pain? It is sometimes impossible to grasp and feel God’s presence in moments of hopelessness, despair and when we are at the lowest point of our lives. Yet, often these are precisely the moments that we are closest to God, when God is fully present in our lives, actively forming and forging his miracle for us.