Power Prayer
This is our Sunday teaching from Senior Pastor, Tom Thompson. Recorded live at our service in Harris Academy Purley, Croydon on Sunday 10th August, 2025. Below you can find the full talk audio, and a summary article.
Want to lead a Connect Group session on this teaching? The notes are here!
Talk Summary - Power Prayers - Hannah stands in the gap
When we first meet Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, life looks promising. She’s young, married into a respected family in a beautiful part of the country, and her very name means “grace” and “favour.” But as the years pass, one longing remains painfully unmet—she cannot have children.
In her culture, infertility wasn’t just a private sorrow; it was a public shame. Whispered rumours suggested she had somehow displeased God. Then came the ultimate heartbreak—her husband took a second wife, Peninnah, who quickly had child after child and never missed an opportunity to taunt Hannah.
Hannah’s pain came to a head each year at the festival in Shiloh. The family would bring meat to offer in worship, and Elkanah, her husband, would give Peninnah a portion for herself - and one for each of her many children. Hannah’s portion, always just one piece, was a public reminder of what she lacked.
Hannah could have listened to three powerful voices: the corrupt spiritual leaders who treated worship as self-serving; her husband urging her to “just be content” with what she had; or the cynicism of Eli the priest, who mistook her anguished prayer for drunkenness.
But she didn’t.
Instead, Hannah brought her grief to God. She didn’t pretend all was fine. She didn’t compromise or numb the ache. She poured out her heart in prayer, vowing that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate him fully to the Lord’s service.
God answered. She gave birth to Samuel, who grew up to be a prophet whose words shaped a nation. Hannah’s private pain became part of God’s great redemption story.
Her example still speaks. We all live with a “gap” between God’s promises and our present reality - whether in our families, health, finances, church, or city. The world offers quick fixes or ways to lower our expectations. Hannah shows a better way: hold the tension, fill the gap with prayer, and trust God’s character.
As a church, we’ve been in a season like Hannah’s—aware of the gap, choosing to pray rather than settle. And we’ve begun to see God stir hearts and change lives.
So here’s the invitation: refuse to settle. Name your disappointment before God. Pray. And watch how He can turn a personal ache into part of His mission to bring grace and favour to many.