Day 1: Samuel 1-2
1 Samuel 1–2:36 | Jeremiah 7:12–14 | Luke 1:46–55
Today’s passages invite us into the stories of two women—Hannah and Mary—who both responded to God with worship, even when life felt uncertain.
In 1 Samuel, we meet Hannah, a woman deeply grieved by infertility and misunderstood by those around her. But instead of letting bitterness take root, she poured out her heart before the Lord. And when God answered, she gave her son back to Him (literally). Her prayer in 1 Samuel 2 echoes the heart of Mary’s song in Luke 1: both give glory to a God who lifts up the lowly and humbles the proud.
Jeremiah gives us a stark contrast: people who honored God with their mouths but had abandoned Him in their hearts. It’s a sobering reminder that God desires true devotion, not just religious routine.
Reflection Questions:
Like Hannah, have I been honest with God about what hurts?
Am I worshiping God only when He answers—or even in the waiting?
Does my faith reflect Hannah and Mary’s surrender… or the empty religion Jeremiah warns against?
