Read: 1 Samuel 1

But Hannah answered, “I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” (vv. 15-17 NRSV)

The story of Hannah is one of grief turned to joy. The biblical narrator emphasizes the long duration of Hannah’s sorrow and pain at her childlessness. “Year by year,” we read, Hannah’s husband Elkanah went up to Shiloh to worship the Lord, sacrificing an animal and bringing a portion back to his family. And “year by year” Hannah wept and would not eat any of the gift her husband brought to her. Hannah’s infertility was a continuing, persistent anguish for her. Year after year she prayed to God, and year after year nothing happened. Prayers of distress and sorrow sometimes last a long time.

Hannah’s anguish eventually came to an end. Her prayers were answered. She gave birth not only to Samuel, but also to three more sons and two daughters. In God’s wise timing, Hannah’s wait was over. Our prayers of sorrow and pain are also, at times, lengthy, and we say with the psalmist, “How long, O Lord?” –Leanne Van Dyk

Prayer: God of faithfulness, in our darkest times give us the persistence of Hannah, who prayed through her pain, year by year. Help us to look to you both in our need and in our joy. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Read: Judges 16:23-31

Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God. (v. 28 NRSV)

Is it possible for someone to pray an authentic prayer that asks for revenge? That is exactly what Samson prayed for. This is a difficult prayer for our ears, one that does not seem to reflect Jesus’ teaching about how we should pray for our enemies. He hardly meant that we should pray for the strength to kill them!

It helps a little bit to notice that Samson wants not only to take revenge on his enemies but also to vindicate God as the one true God. It helps a bit more to notice that Samson has learned something through his sufferings, and is much less arrogant and brash than he once was.

But this is still a difficult prayer. It is, however, an honest prayer.

Samson reveals his own deep need and his own deep connection with God in this prayer. We recognize ourselves in Samson when we realize that situations of grief, of betrayal, of great loss sometimes wring from us prayers of honest pain and anger. God is able to hear and understand our most raw and ragged prayers and accept them in divine love and faithfulness. –Leanne Van Dyk

Prayer: We pray for your help at all times, O Lord, but especially when we are at the end of our own strength, remember and strengthen us then. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Read: Matthew 1:20-23

God is with us. (v. 23 NRSV)

One summer my wife Donna and I visited cousins in Gig Harbor, Washington. We stayed overnight with our relatives and the next day we wanted to visit Mt. Rainier. It was a clear day. The mountain was dramatically visible from the kitchen window. Since it often is cloudy in that region there are many days when the mountain can’t be seen. My cousin encouraged us to take the trip because, she said, “Today the mountain is out.”

Like the mountain, God is always there but he isn’t always “out.” Sometimes when we try to pray the mists of distraction–the many things that demand our attention–make it hard to see God. Or the clouds of suffering make it impossible to feel God’s loving presence. The problem is not that God is absent. God, who gives us life at every moment, it surely present. The Triune God is always with us and at work in every moment.

The light of Christ is what dispels the mists that keep us from knowing God’s presence. By grace the clouds are lifted and we know that God is near. When the fog of our anxieties and attachments is cleared we look in faith and love. We see that God is with us. –David Muyskens

Prayer: God our Maker help us to see through the clouds that you are with us. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Read: Exodus 32:15-20, 30-34

But now, if you will only forgive their sin–but if not, blot me out of the book that you have written. (v. 32 NRSV)

What should have been a wonderful time of celebration and joy for the people of Israel turned into a disaster. Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the precious tablets of the Law in his hands. But the people had become impatient waiting for him, and fashioned a golden calf to worship. When Moses returned, sheer chaos broke out. In despair and anger, Moses turned to God and prayed for him to forgive the people’s sins. But then Moses added that if God would not forgive the people, he could go ahead and erase Moses’ name from the book of life as well.

This, of course, is not how God works. God does not have a cosmic calculator by which he adds some and subtracts others. Mercy, according to God, is not a zero sum game. God’s steadfast love endures forever, and was steady enough to uphold both Moses and the people. Perhaps there are times when you feel so discouraged that you think God should just forget about you. Moses’ prayer–and its answer–is yet another reminder that God will never forsake us. –Leanne Van Dyk

Prayer: Forgive us our sins, O Lord, even sins of rebellion against you. Assure us always of your faithful love. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Read: 1 Samuel 3:4-10

Speak, for your servant is listening. (v. 10 NRSV)

The word for prayer in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, means to open oneself to God. In prayer I enter a relationship in which I am attentive to God, listening as well as speaking.

If I truly want to pray I need to do some listening to what God is saying to me. Reading the Bible is a way of doing that. I ask God, “What is it that you want to say to me?” As I approach the Bible with that request I am attentive to a word or phrase that seems to carry something that demands my attention. I am not trying to comprehend all that is said in the text. I am paying attention to a word that resonates in me.

When I receive that word I spend some time asking, “What does this mean for me? What am I being told? How does this apply to my life?”

Then I form my words of response. It may be in thanksgiving for what I have heard. It may be a petition for help in following what is indicated.

Finally, I let the word I have received sink deep into my heart. I give some time of silence to this. Then I can take that word with me for the day. Listening prayer isn’t easy, just richly rewarding. –David Muyskens

Prayer: Help us, Triune God, to listen attentively to your word for us. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Read: Genesis 18:23b-33

Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? . . . Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? (vv. 23, 25 ESV)

Abraham pleaded with God to have mercy on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was worried about the innocent people who lived there. In this conversational prayer, Abraham was also concerned about God’s character and reputation. Abraham was convinced that it was not worthy of God to sweep away the righteous with the wicked. His prayer was based on his faith in God, the true God of justice and goodness and mercy.

Abraham’s persistence was heard and answered by the Lord. He agreed to Abraham’s final request that Sodom and Gomorrah be spared if ten righteous people were found there. Long ago, our brother in the faith, John Calvin, remarked about this story, “It often happens that God, out of regard to a few, deals gently with the whole people.” The sad ending to this story is that not even ten righteous people were found in the cities, and so they were utterly destroyed. Yet Abraham’s prayer for God’s mercy is an important model for us as we learn to pray for the people of the world. –Leanne Van Dyk

Prayer: God of mercy, help us never to forget the needs of people that are in danger. Give us the persistence of Abraham to pray for their safety. Amen.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.