Scripture Focus
1 Samuel 1:10–20
"In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly." – 1 Samuel 1:10 (NIV)
Who Was Hannah?
Hannah was a woman deeply acquainted with disappointment and longing. She faced barrenness in a culture where childbearing was seen as a woman's highest honor. Even while others around her misunderstood or mocked her (including her husband’s other wife and a priest), Hannah didn’t shut down. She ran to the only One who could truly understand—God. Her story is one of faith, honesty, and the power of persistent prayer.
Devotional Thought
There is something sacred about a sister who chooses prayer over despair.
Hannah’s tears in the temple weren’t weak, they were powerful. In the presence of God, she laid down her heartbreak and exchanged it for peace before her prayer was even answered (1 Samuel 1:18). She teaches us that the starting point of hope is often a whispered, tearful prayer offered in faith.
In a world where we often hide our pain, Hannah reminds us that God welcomes raw emotion. And as sisters in Christ, we are called not just to pray, but to pray together, especially when someone else is too weary to pray for themselves. There’s power when we silently lift up our sisters to the Lord, even if they never know it’s us doing it.
Your prayers for your Secret Sister are not just kind, they are kingdom-shaking.
Mini Bible Study: Sisters Who Pray and Encourage
Take time this week to read 1 Samuel 1:10-20 and study the following scriptures. Reflect on how prayer and encouragement go hand-in-hand in the lives of women of faith.
Romans 12:12 – "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
➤ How can I remain faithful in prayer for someone else even when I feel discouraged myself?
Galatians 6:2 – "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
➤ What does it mean to carry someone’s burden in prayer? How can I do that for my secret sister?
James 5:16 – "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
➤ How can I pray more boldly and intentionally for my sister this week?
1 Thessalonians 5:11 – "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..."
➤ How can I use encouragement—through cards, notes, or scripture—to strengthen someone else today?
I believe that God listens to the cries of my heart just as He listened to Hannah. Even when words fail me, my prayers rise before Him. I am not alone, God is near, and He is working through my prayers for myself and for others. I trust that what I lift up in faith, He holds in power.
