A Mother’s Prayer

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​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood                          
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes Sunday Service May 10 2026
Sermon Title–A Mother’s Prayer
Text – 1 Samuel 2:1-11
Rev. Key Min Lee

​The Bible clearly teaches us how essential prayer is in the life of a believer. Jesus Himself often withdrew to pray to God throughout the night, showing us that prayer was His habit. In Mark 9:29, we see that prayer carries healing power when Jesus casts out an unclean spirit from a boy. In 1 Samuel 12:23, Samuel boldly declares that he would never sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray. In this way, prayer is not optional for Christians; it is an essential part of our spiritual life.
So then, what kind of prayer does God desire?
Today, we encounter the prayer of Hannah. In 1 Samuel 1:10, Hannah is described as praying to the Lord with deep anguish and weeping bitterly. This struggle continued over a long period of time (v.12). She was also praying so intensely that only her lips moved, while no sound was heard (v.13). This shows that Hannah was in such deep sorrow and despair that she could do nothing but cry out to the Lord as her only hope.
In other words, the kind of prayer God desires is a sincere and desperate prayer from the heart.
But today, how often do we see prayers like Hannah’s? If we rarely see such prayer, it may indicate that something within us has lost its sense of desperation. Yet here is the grace of God: He often restores our sense of desperation when we lose it. Through our circumstances and struggles, God leads us back into deeper dependence on Him. In that sense, desperation becomes the key that opens the door to deeper fellowship with the Lord.
At first, Hannah’s prayer was a desperate cry for a personal problem to be solved. However, over time, her heart changed. Her desperation was transformed—not only for answered prayer, but for walking with God Himself. This is reflected in 1 Samuel chapter 2, which we read today.
What is most important in this passage is that Hannah’s desire to walk with God shaped Samuel into a faithful prophet. When our prayers are filled with praise, thanksgiving, and honor to God, the Lord Himself begins to touch, shape, and prepare those connected to us. God works not only in us but also through us for the sake of the next generation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us reflect: is your prayer driven by desperation for solutions to your problems, or by a desire to please God?
Prayer that pleases God is not merely focused on solving problems or changing circumstances. Rather, it is a prayer that longs to dwell more deeply in His presence and seeks greater intimacy with Him.
When we pray with this kind of longing, God Himself will take care of our next generation. He will train them, prepare them, and raise them up in His time. This is the legacy of Hannah’s prayer—the prayer of a mother.
May we never stop praying. But more than that, may our prayers move beyond seeking solutions, and become a deep longing to dwell in the presence of the Lord. I pray that this kind of heart will be in each one of us.