We recognize Hannah’s deep
anguish over not being a mother. She longed for a son, but couldn’t have
children (because she was barren). [i]We
know her faithfulness (in prayer). She never gave up hope that God would hear her.
We also know of her sacrifice. She dedicated her baby (Samuel) to the Lord, and
left him at the temple to serve God for the rest of his life. Her son
grew up to be one of the most influential figures in the Bible. What lessons can we all learn from the Hannah’s story?
1.
Giving is worship: When we give
unselfishly whether to others or directly to the service of God, we are
actually worshipping God. Worship goes beyond lifting holy hands on Sunday
mornings or fellowshipping with other believers. We worship God with our
substance, our time, and energy, our whole being. Hannah must have known the
principle of giving to receive. She went to God with her prayers like the Bible says to do, but she didn’t go with
empty hands. She was not in the best of situations, but knew she had something
to give.
This is an
encouragement to you and me. No matter how disadvantaged we think we are, or
how much we are tempted to feel sorry for ourselves we always have something to
give. Don’t wait until you get what you’re looking for. Open your eyes, and
look around you how might you be able to serve God and others right here you
are?
2.
God
always responds to our prayers(with action or silence): When we hold on to
things so tightly we give the impression that we don’t trust God to answer our
prayers again. We might decline to give to others because we’re worried we
might not have enough. Hannah could have held on to her son and thought ‘what’s
the point of having a son if he’s not with me?’ Hannah didn’t. The Lord was
gracious to Hannah, and more than made up for what she gave up.
“The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three sons
and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the holy place near the Lord.” I Samuel 2:21 (ERV) What
in your life are you still holding back from God? Trust Him. Give it up today
and you’ll have much more than you could ever imagine.
3.
Nothing we desire
should be bigger or more important than God: It happens often
because we’re human. We pray for a specific blessing, and God is gracious and
grants our request. Then we turn around and complain about His gift to us, or we
let the blessing completely overshadow our lives and lead us away from the Lord.
Hannah laid a foundation that took perseverance.
She gave up the thing
she wanted even before she received it. It was her way of saying, “You’re first
Lord. Not even the child that I want with all my heart will change that.” It
was all about the giver. Let’s do the same. Let’s make it clear that the
blessings we seek, the breakthroughs we desire will never ever replace or
displace or commitment to our God, who absolutely deserves all our worship,
love, and attention.
4.
We must keep our promises
to God: It can be easy to say things we don’t mean
when we are desperately in need of relief from pain, stress, or challenges. We
might promise to pay our tithes regularly, serve others more, or spend time
studying the Bible. Do we follow through?
Do we remember our vows when everything falls into place, and life is all good
again?
Hannah did not
forget. In I Samuel 1:22 (ERV), we read that Hannah said to her husband, “But Hannah did not go. She told Elkanah,
“When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then
I will give him to the Lord. He will become a Nazirite. He will stay
there at Shiloh.” How
profound. She didn’t rethink her decision to give him back to the Lord. She did
not go back on her promise. She cared for her son with the intention of
presenting him to the Lord just as she had promised.
“Faith is taking the first step even when
you don't see the whole staircase” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)[ii]
[i] Infertile
Couples in the Bible
1.
Abraham +
Sarah – Abraham and Sarah have
probably the most well known story of infertility. In Genesis 17, they were
promised a child even though they were well beyond child-bearing years. They
had Isaac. Genesis 15-21
2.
Isaac +
Rebekah – Isaac
asks the Lord for a baby because Rebekah was barren and they had Esau and
Jacob. Genesis 25
3.
Jacob +
Rachel – God opens
the womb of Rachel and they had Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis 29-30
4.
Hannah +
Elkanah – Hannah
wept for a son and she had Samuel + 5 more children. 1 Samuel 1
5.
Manoah + his
wife – The wife was barren. An
angel told her she would conceive and she had Samson. Judges 13
6.
The
Shunammite woman + husband – Elisha tells the woman she will have a son within a
year and she does. 2 Kings 4
7.
Elisabeth +
Zachariah – Both were
barren. An Angel appears and promised a son and they had John the Baptist. Luke
1
[ii] Sources used:
·
“4 Things Hannah Knew That
You Must Know, Too” by Remi Roy
·
“5 Things You Didn't Know about Hannah in the
Bible” by Kristine Brown
·
“6 Things You Didn’t Know
About Hannah in the Bible” by Lesli White
·
“HED: 5 Things You Don't
Know About Hannah in The Bible” by Kesolink
· “Infertility Scriptures in the Bible” by Caroline
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