God Granted My Request!

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request." 1 Samuel 1:27

Hannah was a desperate woman. She was the wife of a man with two wives. The other wife, Peninnah, had children, and made fun of Hannah who was barren. Peninnah goes down in history as a woman who in spite of all she had, all her blessings, resorted to taunting a woman who already was in pain. What was Hannah's response? Prayer. Not revenge. She did not ask her husband to punish Peninnah. She did not put a snake in Peninnah's bedroom. She went to the Tabernacle to pray. She prayed so fervently and desperately that Eli the priest thought she was drunk and reprimanded her. "Oh no! I'm not drunk, just very sad. I have been pleading with the Lord in anguish and sorrow!" 

Eli said to her: “Go in peace. And may the God of Israel grant to you your petition, which you have begged of him.” 

Perhaps we have an enemy like Peninnah who likes to rub her victory in our face. I'm thinking of all the wrong thinking people in our country today, so vocal about approving all the killings and the death penalty. They taunt and insult, and sometimes make threats. What should be our response? Prayer. Prayer changes things. We may not see the changes yet, but if we persist like Hannah, we will give birth to a better, kinder world for us and for our children.