February 25, 2026
New Britain · South Windsor · Newington · Wethersfield · Chicago
Hymn
Blessed Assurance
Fanny Crosby
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Refrain
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. Refrain
Confession of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
…Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,
…Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
…Born of the Virgin Mary,
…Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
…Was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
…And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And life everlasting. Amen.
Scripture Reading
1 Samuel 1:1-11
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
Message
Nazirite Prayer
1. Hannah
(1) A person of the covenant
(2) A person who will fulfill God’s will
(3) Solving the problems of the age
(4) A person who knows God’s reason
(5) Purpose and reason of life = God’s covenant
(6) One must not offer religious prayers or worldly prayers
2. Hannah’s Failure in Prayer
(1) Hannah had no children (Verse 2)
(2) The other wife, Peninnah, had children (Verse 2)
(3) The Lord had closed her womb (Verses 5-6)
(4) Because her rival Peninnah kept provoking her in order to irritate her (Verses 6-7)
(5) In her deep anguish, she prayed and wept bitterly (Verse 10)
3. Changing the Prayer Topic
(1) “Look on your servant’s misery” (Verse 11)
(2) “Remember me and not forget your servant” (Verse 11)
(3) “If you will only give me a son…” (Verse 11)
(4) Not just a son, but a Nazirite, a Remnant
4. God’s Answer
(1) Through Eli the priest (Verse 17)
(2) “Her face was no longer downcast” (Verse 18)
(3) Samuel (Verse 20)
…① The last Judge, the first Prophet
…② Established the 1st and 2nd kings of Israel
…③ Not one of his words fell to the ground… (1 Samuel 3:19)
…④ Mizpah Movement
(4) Bonus answer (1 Samuel 2:21)
Forum and Prayer