Hannah heard the priest. His words were what she sought. What she did next suggests how we end our prayer. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

‭1 Samuel 1:18 NIV‬

[18] She said, “May your servant find favour in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

The Power and Place of Prayer

Breaking the Fast

Having confirmed that her prayer request was heard, Hannah paid verbal respect to the priest, and she broke her fast. She did not venerate the priest. In that moment, she didn’t even take him a special offering (for we recall, she had not gone to him), although she thanked him.

We know that our prayers do not always receive a human answer, but when we pray as earnestly as Hannah had been praying, we keep going until something happens. The Pauline writer (as in Paul or one of his disciples) says in Philippians 4:6-7, ‘worry about nothing, but pray to YHWH about everything earnestly while giving thanks. And your mind will experience the supernatural and abiding peace of God through Christ Jesus.’

When we PUSH forward in prayer, we expect to experience God’s Peace, especially for the ‘impossible’. When we don’t receive verbal confirmation that God has ‘heard’ our heart’s cry, we should find ourselves at peace. God’s Peace.

Now, there are some of us who’ve prayed, and though we are heard, the response is no. That happened to David, remember? And while the context was different, the end was the same. Like Hannah, when David knew he had been heard, he broke his fast (see 2 Samuel 12:13-25). And while we might not have been praying to the extent of a literal fast, the principle holds true. When we receive confirmation of God’s reply, we can resume interaction with others.

Since we generally break our fast, i.e., ‘breakfast’ at the start of the day, we can consider the sense of God’s peace as the beginning of our new season. In that case, we have reason to smile, for, as Philippians 4 reminds us, we rejoice always. In rejoicing, we stay focused on Jesus and God’s Word.

Operatively, Hannah’s prayer ended there, but there’s one thing more for us to consider. That’s the focus for tomorrow.

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May all we seek be found in Christ