Hannah's Prayer

My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

— 1 Samuel 2:1–2 (KJV)

About This Prayer

Hannah prayed these words after years of childlessness, when God gave her a son, Samuel. She had wept at the temple in a grief so raw the priest thought she was drunk; here, she overflows with praise instead. Her quieter words from that story are just as loved: "For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him" (1 Samuel 1:27, KJV) — a verse many parents write over a nursery. "Mine horn is exalted" is an old picture of strength restored: she can lift her head again.

When to Pray This

Many who are praying for a child hold Hannah close, because she knew both the long ache and the honest tears — God welcomed her weeping at the temple as fully as her rejoicing. If that is your season, pray her words as they fit: her hope, her sorrow, or her praise. Her story is an invitation to keep bringing the longing to God, whatever He has written for the road ahead, and this prayer is also for anyone giving thanks after a long wait of any kind.