Breakthrough Prayer: Hannah's Journey From Barrenness to Blessing (Part 1)
Every great move of God was birthed in prayer. In a world full of turmoil, we have to go back to the roots of prayer. Jesus teaches that every man ought to pray and not give up - so today we begin a new series on breakthrough prayer, starting with a woman named Hannah.
How Persistent Prayer Turns Pain Into Purpose
Hannah teaches us that breakthrough prayer is born out of deep pain, fueled by unwavering faith, and rewarded by God's perfect timing. Her greatest breakthrough came not because she gave up, but because she gave everything to God.
Everyone experiences seasons of barrenness. Barrenness isn't always physical - it's a season of life where what you do simply doesn't work. All of us have been there.
Sometimes it's:
- A barren marriage
- A barren business
- A barren ministry
- A barren dream
- A barren relationship
- A barren prayer life
Hannah's story reminds us that God can bring life to what seems lifeless. Your season of waiting is not proof that God has forgotten you.
1 Samuel 1:1-4 (NLT) There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven's Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli - Hophni and Phinehas. On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.
Our worship should be a sacrifice, for the Bible says to offer the sacrifice of our worship.
Romans 12:1 (AMP) Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies - dedicating all of yourselves, set apart - as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.
1 Samuel 1:5-10 (NLT) And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children. So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. Year after year it was the same - Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat. "Why are you crying, Hannah?" Elkanah would ask. "Why aren't you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me - isn't that better than having ten sons?" Once, after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
Key 1: Bring Your Pain to God
Instead of running from God, she ran to God.
Hebrews 4:16 (AMP) Therefore let us - with privilege - approach the throne of grace - that is, the throne of God's gracious favor - with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy for our failures and find His amazing grace to help in time of need - an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment.
1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) Casting all your cares - all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all - on Him, for He cares about you with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully.
Psalm 55:22 (AMP) Cast your burden on the Lord - release it - and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Matthew 6:33 (AMP) But first and most importantly seek His kingdom and His righteousness - His way of doing and being right - and all these things will be given to you also.
Your pain becomes powerful when you place it in God's hands. Pearls are formed because an oyster responds to irritation. Likewise, God can transform the irritations of life into something beautiful through prayer.
1 Samuel 1:11 (NLT) And she made this vow: "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut."
Key 2: Surrender Your Blessing Back to God
Genesis 22:16-17 (AMP) "This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies."
John 3:16 (NLT) "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
Proverbs 3:9 (AMP) Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the first fruits of all your crops (income).
God often entrusts greater blessings to surrendered hands.
1 Samuel 1:12-14 (NLT) As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. "Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your wine!"
Key 3: Refuse to Let People Stop Your Prayer
Eli misunderstood Hannah. Peninnah mocked Hannah. Yet Hannah continued praying.
Isaiah 54:17 (AMP) "No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This - peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition - is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me," says the Lord.
Galatians 6:9 (NLT) So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.
Romans 8:31 (AMP) What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be successful against us?
Don't allow criticism to silence your conversation with God. Many inventors, missionaries, and leaders were misunderstood before they made history. Your breakthrough doesn't require everyone's approval - only God's.
1 Samuel 1:15-16 (NLT) "Oh no, sir!" she replied. "I haven't been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow."
Key 4: Pour Out Your Soul
Romans 8:26-28 (MSG) Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
1 Samuel 1:17-18 (NLT) "In that case," Eli said, "go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him." "Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
Key 5: Leave the Prayer with God
Nothing had changed yet. But peace had arrived.
Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP) Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything - every circumstance and situation - by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your specific requests known to God. And the peace of God - that peace which reassures the heart, that peace which transcends all understanding - will stand guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
John 14:27 (AMP) "Peace I leave with you; My perfect peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge."
Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) "You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast - committed and focused on You - because he trusts and takes refuge in You with hope and confident expectation."
Peace is often the first miracle before the visible breakthrough.
1 Samuel 1:19 (NLT) The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea.
Key 6: Worship Before the Breakthrough
Hannah's prayer became praise.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG) Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Psalm 34:1-3 (AMP) I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God; if things aren't going well, hear this and be happy: join me in spreading the news; together let's get the word out.
1 Samuel 1:20 (NLT) And in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I asked the Lord for him."
Key 7: Trust God's Timing
Samuel was born. Not immediately. But at God's appointed time.
Isaiah 40:31 (AMP) But those who wait for the Lord - who expect, look for, and hope in Him - will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings and rise up close to God like eagles rising toward the sun; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (AMP) There is a season - a time appointed - for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven.
Habakkuk 2:3 (AMP) "For the vision is yet for the appointed future time. It hurries toward the goal of fulfillment; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait patiently for it, because it will certainly come; it will not delay."
God's delays are often His preparation.
1 Samuel 1:26-28 (NLT) "Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked. "I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life." And they worshiped the Lord there.
People Whose Faith Persevered
- Genesis 21 - Sarah waited decades before Isaac was born. God keeps His promises.
- Luke 1 - Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist after years of barrenness. Nothing is impossible with God.
- 2 Kings 4 - The Shunammite woman trusted God, and He restored her son. Faith sees beyond loss.
- Acts 12 - The church prayed continuously for Peter. Persistent prayer brought miraculous deliverance.
Seven Characteristics of Hannah's Breakthrough Prayer
- It was honest.
- It was persistent.
- It was humble.
- It was faith-filled.
- It was surrendered.
- It was patient.
- It ended in worship.
"Prayer changes you before it changes your circumstances."
Final Challenge
Like Hannah, don't allow pain to push you away from God. Let it push you into His presence. Your breakthrough may not come overnight, but God is still the One who turns barren seasons into fruitful testimonies. The God who remembered Hannah has not forgotten you.
This Week's Prayer Points
Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP) "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and tell you - and even show you - great and mighty things, things which have been confined and hidden, which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish."
Jeremiah 29:11-12 (AMP) "For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you," says the Lord, "plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear your voice, and I will listen to you."
Psalm 50:15 (NIV) "And call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Matthew 7:7-9 (AMP) "Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened."
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
James 5:16 (AMP) Therefore, confess your sins to one another - your false steps, your offenses - and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God - it is dynamic and can have tremendous power.
Psalm 62:8 (AMP) Trust confidently in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 27:14 (AMP) Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
Discussion Questions
- Hannah brought her pain directly to God instead of hiding it or numbing it. What "barren" area of your life have you been avoiding bringing to God in prayer, and what would it look like to bring it to Him honestly this week?
- Hannah made a vow to surrender her answered prayer back to God. Is there a blessing you're asking God for that you're hesitant to fully surrender back to Him if He gives it to you? What would surrender look like in that situation?
- Both Eli and Peninnah misunderstood or mocked Hannah, yet she kept praying. Who or what tries to talk you out of praying or believing God for breakthrough, and how can you guard your prayer life against that discouragement?
- After Hannah prayed, she left with peace even though nothing had visibly changed yet - "nothing had changed yet, but peace had arrived." Where in your life do you need to trade anxious waiting for that kind of settled peace this week?
- Hannah worshiped before she saw the full answer to her prayer. What is one practical way you can practice worship and thanksgiving today, even while you're still waiting on God for your own breakthrough?