And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).

When we sit down as a family to eat, we always say the same blessing.  

Dear God,

Thank you for this food, 

And thank you this time to eat together.

Amen.

It is a simple prayer, but deeply meaningful. God doesn’t miraculously intervene to put food on our table or yank my kids away from their video games to eat with mom and dad.  This prayer is a reminder to our family that God is here to feed something in our souls, and we work for his purpose in this world.

As I read about Hannah in this first chapter of Samuel, I’m challenging myself to look closely into her simple prayers as she hungers for deeper meaning through God.  She’s feeling the shame of not having children, and fearful that her husband doesn’t love her because of it.  It can appear like she is bargaining with God.  

Fix this, and I’ll do that.  Not unlike many prayers I’ve offered myself, to be quite honest.

But her simple prayers also carry much deeper meaning.  Hannah knows that God wants more for her than just surviving.  She knows that the Lord has called his people to be fruitful and multiply, so that they can steward the earth in his name.  Hannah knows deeply and powerfully that her true purpose lies in having a child so that this child can answer his commission of godly stewardship.

Her simple prayers for a child aren’t about cutting a deal but a hunger to fill her role in God’s plan. 

It makes me think about my own hunger for purpose. As I sit at the dinner table with my family, I think about what God has made me for.  I am so thankful for the food, my wife, and children.  But I know God has a wider purpose for myself and my family than just being together.

Truthfully, I don’t have an answer to deliver in this message. But what I do know is that I can follow in Hannah’s example of faithfully chasing her hunger, knowing that only God can satisfy it. 

To fill that deeper hunger, I must stay faithful to God. And while I offer my small prayer as I gather around the dinner table with my family, I’m also reminded that God will choose how to fill my hunger.  Our dinner blessing is not only about the food and the time together. It’s about God blessing us so that we may bring his purpose into this world. 

So maybe it’s time to add to our humble prayer.

Dear God, thank you for this food, and thank you for this time to eat together. 

Please nourish our bodies and spirit, so that we may become bearers of your blessings in this world that you love and have redeemed through Jesus.