1 Samuel 1:20
“When the time had come, Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of Yahweh.””
What does 1 Samuel 1:20 mean?
After years of longing and heartfelt prayer, Hannah finally held the son she'd desperately wanted. She named him Samuel, which means "God has heard," because she understood his birth as a direct answer from God to her specific request. This moment captures something deep about prayer: sometimes what we ask for comes to pass, and naming him this way was Hannah's way of saying thank you and bearing witness to what God had done. It's a beautiful reminder that our prayers matter and that sometimes the waiting does end with joy, even when we've struggled long and hard.