1 Samuel 1: "Because I asked the Lord for him"

Hannah joyfully accepts the gift of a son that God has given to her with gratitude and a new understanding of God's grace. In the NIV Bible, it says that "Samuel" sounded like the Hebrew for "heard of God" so even though the sentence may at first glance sound prideful, but the focus of Hannah was on the grace of God, not on her own asking. 

There are many things in my life that I want that I have never brought to the Lord for whatever reason, but Hannah's joy in knowing that God responded to her prayers really makes me want to eventually be able to say "..because I asked the Lord for it." Not only is this a reflection of reliance on God, it's a response to the command to pray, jumping on God's bandwagon to advance His kingdom. I want to be a part of God's plan' I want to make a difference, so I need to pray more.

Two observations on prayer and asking God for things:

We don't receive because we don't ask.

Don't get me wrong. If you ask, there's no guarantee that you will receive what you're asking for. However the Word is quite clear that "if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22).    Our hearts need to be aligned with God's heart, but many times even for the noble and righteous things we are hesitant to pray. How often do we pray for the salvation of friends or the healing of broken relationships? God can also use prayer to mold our hearts and often to convict us to be the answer to our prayers. 

God promises us that he answers prayers. Why do we doubt him so much? Has God really let you down before? We doubt God's faithfulness and love when we fail to bring things to him in prayer, forgetting just how much he loves us and desires our joy and pleasure. 

^{Luke 11:9-13}

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

We aren't grateful when we do receive because we didn't ask

Despite our failure to pray, God still pours out blessings for us, whether or not we asked for it, but because we didn't ask, we take those blessings for granted. This seems a little bit counterintuitive, because it would seem like we should be even more grateful because we should be able to see God's grace clearer, as we never asked for what we received. The sad reality is that we become like spoiled children, feeling entitled to the world and failing to recognize that all the wonderful things in life are blessings from God.

When we ask God, we are recognizing his sovereignty and resigning our will to His, that when we do receive, there is no reaction fitting but to praise Him. Because we often don't ask, we don't bother to wonder where our blessings are, forgetting that "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17).

To sum it all up: don't be afraid to ask God for anything, and remember to praise God for everything.