Praying for Adult Children
Kim Shay
When praying for my children, I often think of Hannah (I Sam. 1-2). She wanted a child. It grieved her that she could not give her husband one. She prayed so fervently that the priest Eli believed her to be drunk. As she prayed, she promised God that if he gave her a child, she would give him back to the Lord.
We know how the story ends. She does have a child, and she does give him to the Lord at a very tender age, shortly after he was weaned. The prospect of yielding such a young child to the care of the priests is something mothers may struggle with. I didn't even want to leave my children with babysitters who weren't family!
Yet, Hannah manages to do what she promised, and she leaves Samuel in the care of Eli. Her prayer in I Samuel 2:2-10 shows the reason why she was able to do it: she knew who God was. Confidence in prayer comes from knowing who God is and trusting him.