Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “For This Child I Prayed (The Book of Samuel series 1)” as Want to Read:
For This Child I Prayed (The Book of Samuel series 1)
by
After her husband took a second wife, Hannah desperately needed someone to love. For years, she begged God for a baby. When she promised to give her future child to the Tabernacle, the Lord finally answered her prayer. Now, she was faced with the most difficult choice a mother could make: would she keep her vow to give up her baby?
This is a short fictional story based on t ...more
This is a short fictional story based on t ...more
Kindle Edition, 29 pages
Published
July 2nd 2015
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
For This Child I Prayed,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about For This Child I Prayed
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-27

Start your review of For This Child I Prayed (The Book of Samuel series 1)

For This Child I Prayed by William Gage is a short story inspired by Hannah, mother of Samuel in the first Book of Samuel, Chapter 1. This story is also inspired by the painting ‘Hannah presenting her Son to the High Priest Eli’ which currently hangs in the Lourve.
Gage brings warmth and heartfelt tenderness to Hannah’s dilemma of being unable to conceive a child for her husband Elkanah. His second wife Peninnah teases and taunts Hannah due to her incapability to have a child.
Hannah learns how to ...more
Gage brings warmth and heartfelt tenderness to Hannah’s dilemma of being unable to conceive a child for her husband Elkanah. His second wife Peninnah teases and taunts Hannah due to her incapability to have a child.
Hannah learns how to ...more

The scripture from 1 Samuel 1:27, "For this child I have prayed..." has become a common thing to see on picture frames, crosses, and wall plaques for nurseries. It's a meaningful scripture that has become increasingly popular. William Gage took the surrounding verses from Samuel 1:27 and fleshed them out into a short story, of the same name.
I didn't remember the story of Elkanah and Hannah, so For This Child I Prayed was a treat in that aspect. I found their story moving and emotional. I liked ...more
I didn't remember the story of Elkanah and Hannah, so For This Child I Prayed was a treat in that aspect. I found their story moving and emotional. I liked ...more

*Review requested by author during free promotions at amazon*
This was a truly wonderful story! It struck quite a few chords with me causing me to take a step back and reflect. This short story is well written, meaningful, entertaining and a very quick read. I couldn't ask for anything more. At the end of the book there's a write up about the cover art which I loved as well. Personally, I view this book as a sign (call me crazy all you want). I'm very grateful to the author for approaching me wit ...more
This was a truly wonderful story! It struck quite a few chords with me causing me to take a step back and reflect. This short story is well written, meaningful, entertaining and a very quick read. I couldn't ask for anything more. At the end of the book there's a write up about the cover art which I loved as well. Personally, I view this book as a sign (call me crazy all you want). I'm very grateful to the author for approaching me wit ...more

A thoughtful short story of the confines of Old Testament society and the restrictions it can place on familial ties. The reader encounters a woman who lives a lonely life, second-best to another wife of her husband, barren and sad. When she finally conceives as a gift from God she is faced with a choice: honor Yahweh through relinquishing her son to her religion, or keeping her long-awaited child for her own joy? There is a nice afterward that explains the cover art and its inspiration to the a
...more

This very short story tells the story of Hannah praying for a child, conceiving and giving birth to Samuel, and dedicating him to the Lord. Scripture says Elkanah loved Hannah, but in this story, her husband refuses to have anything to do with Hannah after she refuses to sleep in the same bed with him and his second wife. This makes the story more dramatic and emphasizes what a sacrifice Hannah makes, but it portrays a different kind of relationship than I perceive from the Bible.
I got this book ...more
I got this book ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
News & Interviews
Die-hard mystery fans are always on the hunt for their next supremely satisfying whodunit. To help you stock that Want to Read shelf, we asked...
54 likes · 23 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »