Lesson Review

• Last week we learnt that for three and half years there was no rain in Israel then Prophet Elijah prayed to God for rain. When he prayed, he had faith and so, he kept sending his servant to go and check for clouds by the sea. Six times, when the servant went down to the sea from the mountain where Prophet Elijah was praying, there was nothing but on the seventh time, the servant reported, “I have seen a little cloud not bigger than a man’s hand, coming up from the sea.”
• Elijah believed from the very first time he sent his servant to check, that God had heard his prayers and had answered him. He prayed fully
  believing that God will send rain. From this Bible story, we learnt that we should also have faith when we pray to God, and believe that God can and will answer our prayers that please Him.

Sing: Read your Bible, pray every day.

Introduction

• What have you been praying and asking God for? [Allow the children to respond] Have you been praying for a toy, a bicycle, for God to heal you or someone who is sick? How long have you been asking God for it? [Allow children to respond]
• Our Bible lesson today is about a lady who prayed and asked God for something for a really long time. Let’s listen carefully as I tell you what it was.

Bible Story

• A long time ago, there was a man named Elkanah who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah did not have any children. Hannah really wanted children but could not have any and year after year, Peninnah would make fun of Hannah because she did not have any children. The Bible tells us that when Elkanah, Hannah & Peninnah went to the temple (which is what we call a church today) in Shiloh every year as a family to pray and offer sacrifices to worship God, Hannah would pray and ask God to bless her with a child. Peninnah wasn’t very kind and every year, she would tease Hannah so much that Hannah would cry. Hannah would get so sad that she refused to eat anything. Still, Hannah never stopped praying and asking God to bless her with a baby. Hannah prayed even through her pain.

• One time when they had gone to the temple, Hannah was so unhappy and after eating her food, she went back to the temple and cried as she prayed to God. Hannah begged God for a son and promised God that she would give the child back to God to serve Him. Hannah prayed silently, moving her lips but making no sound for a really long time that Eli the priest even thought she was drunk. Hannah told Eli that she was praying because she was so sad. Eli then sent Hannah away and told her to go and have peace and wished that God would give her what she had been asking for. When she left the temple after praying for so long, Hannah was not sad anymore, she ate and went home. Guess what, boys and girls, God did give Hannah what she had been asking for. Hannah got a son whom she called, Samuel, which means, “I asked the Lord for him.”

• Boys and girls, just like Hannah, sometimes we also go through painful and difficult things. Just like Hannah who prayed to God through her pain, you and I should also pray to God even when we’re going through painful, difficult things, and know that God sees our pain and loves us. Jesus loves us and hears our prayers, and answers our prayers at His time with love. God gave Hannah peace and took her pain away by giving her the son she had prayed for over many years. Just like Hannah, God will take care of us. He hears us, He understands our pain and will answer us and take care of us. Just keep praying.

• Sing Jesus loves me