Story 30 of 100 · Based on 1 Samuel 1
Hannah Asks God for a Son
Hannah wanted very much to have a son, and she did not have one. She was so sad that she cried and had no desire to eat.
Her husband, Elkanah, who loved her, said to her:
—Hannah, why are you crying? Why don't you eat? Why are you sad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?
One day, Hannah went to the temple at Shiloh and began to pray. She wept a great deal and made a promise to God:
—Lord, if you give me a son, I will give him to you for all the days of his life.
The priest Eli, who was sitting nearby, saw that Hannah's lips were moving without a sound, and thought she was drunk.
—How long are you going to stay like this? —he said.
—No, sir —Hannah answered—. I have not been drinking. I am a woman deeply troubled, and I am pouring out my heart before the Lord.
Eli said to her:
—Go in peace. May the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.
Hannah went off to eat, and she was no longer sad. God remembered her, and Hannah had a son. She named him Samuel, because she said, "I asked the Lord for him."
Let's talk: Hannah spoke to God with all her heart. What do you want to tell him today?
You can tell God everything you feel. He listens to you. Goodnight.