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I was looking for proof that God hears our prayers when I came across a young woman with a very powerful story.

What's your prayer story?

I'd been married for a long time, but wasn't able to have any children—that's a big deal where I come from. To make matters worse, my husband's other wife, Peninnah, had a whole truckload of kids.

His other wife?

Yes. That's another common cultural thing where I come from. My lack of kids didn't bother me too much at first, because I was my hubby's favorite wife. But things got really tough when Peninnah turned out to be a human vending machine for sons and daughters.

Because there weren't enough bathrooms in the house?

No—although that's true, now that you mention it. The real problem was that Peninnah was so mean about the whole thing. She would tease me mercilessly about my inability to have children.

If your husband loved you most, why didn't he do anything to help?

He tried to, I guess. He used to give me twice as much dinner as he gave the other wife and her kids—that made me feel a little better. But he didn't really understand. He would say, "Why are you so sad? You've got me, and that's better than having 10 kids!"

He sounds like quite a catch. So is that when you started praying?

Yes. Peninnah was laying it on especially thick one day, and I just couldn't take it any more. So I ran out of the house, toward the temple, and started praying as hard as I could. I even made a promise to God. I told him that if I could just have a son, I would dedicate him to serving in the temple his whole life.

Sounds like you were serious.

Yep. My prayer even attracted the attention of the High Priest, Eli.

Did he come over to congratulate you for your faith?

Um … not exactly. Actually, he told me to stop drinking so much wine. I guess he thought I was drunk by the way I was praying. But I wasn't.

Are you sure you weren't a little tipsy? Maybe your husband gave you a double portion of "drinky drinky" along with dinner?

No, he did not! My face was red and puffy from crying, that's all. And I was praying silently, so he saw my lips moving and thought I'd gone nutty and was talking to myself. But once I explained everything, he understood. And then he blessed my prayer. So don't go spreading any rumors about me in that little article of yours.

Then what happened?

God gave me a wonderful son not even a year later. I named him Samuel and kept my promise. I dedicated my boy to the Lord and he eventually became the next High Priest after Eli passed away.

Samuel—I like that name! What made you choose it?

I wanted to always remember how God answered my prayer, and Samuel is pretty similar to the Hebrew phrase that means "I asked God for him." So I just connected the dots.

I'm glad you did; my name is Samuel, too!

Oh, yeah? I guess we can both be thankful that God answers our passionate prayers—even if others think we're a little out of control.

Want to learn more about this mystery character? Check out 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11. And for more insights into the power of persistent prayer, see Luke 18:1-8.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today/Ignite Your Faith magazine.
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