Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read 1 Samuel 2:18-21 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.’ 1 Samuel 2:21

‘Das Leben is grausam, und Klaus ist ein Schwein’ was a line from an annoyingly catchy song when I lived in Germany. From a song by Die Prinzen, it roughly means ‘Life is awful and Klaus is a pig!’ I would wander about Hamburg singing those words, when in reality, life was generally ok, and the only Claus I knew was great!

We all experience tough times in life, when things really are awful, and I suspect many of us will worry, try to find a solution ourselves, phone friends and family, panic and get stressed, before we even think about God or prayer!

Hannah would have had good reason to sing the first part of that line with feeling, but in contrast, she gives us an extraordinary example of faith, trusting God in tough times and putting Him first in everything. Her love for God is clear in the way she brings her pain to God. She trusts God with the future, and her devotion is even clearer as she gives God her only son to live in God’s house, for God’s purposes, all his life.

Hannah’s faithfulness is also clear in the way she and Elkanah went each year to the Temple for the annual sacrifice. It must have been hard, each year seeing how much her son had changed, what she was missing, but she remained faithful. Samuel wasn’t forgotten either, as she remained his loving, faithful mother, making him a new robe each year.

And verse 21 shows that Hannah’s faith is ‘noted by God’ and rewarded as she and Elkanah are blessed with five more children, with Samuel growing up ‘in the presence of the Lord’, trusting in and serving God.

Trusting in Jesus, we too have rich blessings now and an amazing future hope to look forward to. So, whether life is awful, just okay, or fantastic let’s be encouraged and challenged to pray by Hannah’s example:

Do we truly love God and put him first, before everything?

Do we trust God with our lives, the future, with our children?

Do we remain faithful no matter how life is?

Let us pray: Father God, Help us to keep trusting in you wholeheartedly and praying with confidence and faith just as Hannah did. Amen.

Simon Corner, Youth Worker, St Michael’s CE High School, Chorley.