First Baptist Church Gilman City

In this episode of Going Gilman, we step beyond Sunday’s sermon to reflect on what real prayer looks like in long seasons of waiting. Using Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1, we explore why repeated, unanswered prayers are so hard, what God is actually doing in those moments, and how He often gives peace before He gives answers. This episode is a gentle encouragement to keep praying, keep trusting, and keep drawing near to the God who hears.

Does God really care, especially when the waiting is long and the pain doesn’t lift? In this sermon from 1 Samuel 1:3–28, we follow Hannah’s story of deep sorrow, honest prayer, unexpected peace, and costly obedience to discover a God who sees our pain, hears our prayers, and gives peace before answers come. Most importantly, we’re reminded that God’s compassion flows not from need, but from love, a truth ultimately revealed at the cross of Christ. If you’ve ever wondered whether God is distant or disinterested, this message invites you to look again, upward, to the Savior who proves He cares.

In the first episode of Going Gilman, we take a step beyond Sunday’s sermon and reflect on where God really begins His work. In 1 Samuel, God doesn’t start with a king or a dramatic moment. He starts in a quiet home and in the middle of unanswered longing. This episode explores why we struggle with slow seasons, what quiet faithfulness looks like in everyday life, and how God often does His deepest work where we least expect it.

In this opening sermon of 1 Samuel, we see that God’s rescue plan for a spiritually drifting nation doesn’t begin with a throne or a battlefield, but in a quiet home marked by deep pain. Israel is in crisis, yet God starts His work in a small town, through an ordinary family, and in the life of a barren woman, showing us that He often works in places that seem slow, small, and unseen. As the story unfolds, we discover that God’s answer isn’t what the people expect, and ultimately it points beyond Samuel to a greater King from Bethlehem, Jesus Christ, who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Note: Part of the beginning of the sermon is cut off. We apologize.