HANNAH

Hannah is a woman who is desperate for a child. Her struggle with infertility poses great shame and embarrassment in her life, and she feels incomplete. She is a woman who is scorned by others, and she internalizes her grief and her seemingly purposeless existence to the point where she feels paralyzed in her ability to eat and enjoy life. Her prayers seem ineffective, and her fervent requests appear to be ignored by God.

Yet Hannah’s story is much more than simply wanting a baby, though this desire cannot and should not be minimized. Her ultimate journey, however, is to reach God’s heart and begins with her perceived personal failure and sense of desperation that eventually knocks her down to her humble knees. Through submission rather than resistance, Hannah reaches full dependence and reliance on God who miraculously delivers sweeping, unabridged joy that surpasses her limited human understanding.

Peer into Hannah’s brief but powerful pilgrimage into God’s perfect will, and you will see that His peace and grace for your life is attainable, no matter how impossible that seems and no matter what insurmountable obstacles you are facing.

In 1105 B.C. during the time of Israel’s great apostasy and corruption, an insignificant, humiliated, sorrowful woman who suffers a tremendous bitterness of soul rises from the ashes of her misery and gives birth to one of the greatest prophets of the Levitic priesthood – Samuel – who eventually anoints King David.

This gracious woman is Hannah, a woman who is despised, mocked, and provoked to daily misery because she deems herself incapable and broken, as does her culture, since she is unable to bear children. A woman who is unjustly accused of drunken immorality by a leader in the church. A woman who is lacking emotional support by her own husband. A woman who feels alone, rejected, and abandoned by everyone.

Hannah is a woman to whom we can relate because even though she lived over 3,000 years ago, she is no different than you or me.

For you see, Hannah relates to you when you don’t understand why God appears unwilling to answer your prayers. Hannah knows what it’s like when the wicked people around you thrive, and you simply don’t understand why everything seems to go their way and not yours, especially when you feel you’ve done all the “right” things. Even though, God

“makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

To you, this may seem unfair, unjust, and confusing. You are not alone in believing the unbalanced scales of man’s justice rather than God’s, because His

“’thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Hannah, perhaps like you, feels like the whole universe is against her, and she falls into a miserable pit of heartbreak and despair. Hannah, too, experiences when she is unable to eat because her pain is so great. Hannah has been in your shoes when you are wholly afraid for your insecure future because it appears bleak and hopeless. Hannah knows what it’s like when people bully and make fun of you because of your physical weakness. Hannah gets it when your well-meaning spouse misses the mark and is unintentionally and emotionally insensitive. Hannah understands when you feel like you have no value, no worth, and have nothing to offer the world but your tears.

Ask yourself this: When life is difficult, do you press into God or away from Him? Do you trust Him, or do you blame Him, thinking that He has forgotten you and doesn’t love you? Do you lay your struggles at His feet, or do you bear the massive burden on your own shoulders and lash out at those around you?

If so, take heart, because Hannah is our inspiration, for she is given peace beyond all understanding in the midst of her misery and affliction. She is a woman who bears the impossible with gentle grace and humility. She is a woman who puts her relationship, trust, and hope in God above all else and decides that her happiness is not in what she had, but in what she could give.

See, Hannah is her husband’s Elkanah’s first wife, whom he loves dearly, but because she is barren and cannot provide children for posterity, economic security, or societal status (akin to Sarah, Leah, and Elizabeth’s plight), he does what most men did during that time – he takes a second wife, Peninnah, which predictably causes great dissension and conflict in their household. Not only does Hannah already feel inept and incapable because she cannot conceive, but now her husband digs the knife even deeper into her wound by taking comfort elsewhere, leaving Hannah to feel completely abandoned, alone, and worthless. Hence, Hannah identifies herself as the world identifies her – a failure as a childless woman rather than as a beloved child of God.

Peninnah, because of her vindictive, jealous spirit adds insult to injury by not only torturing Hannah on a daily basis, but she also raises corrupt and unscrupulous children. Peninnah takes great delight in pouring salt into her rival Hannah’s vulnerable wound of barrenness. And yet, Peninnah’s wicked ways, as does all the ways of the unrighteous, would only last a season.

Hannah does not react, nor does she retort with bitter, angry words to her self-proclaimed rival. She is the epitome of self-restraint and grace under the refining fire of God’s kiln, and Peninnah is indeed that furnace of purification that God uses to mold Hannah’s humble soul into a vessel of blessing.

You, too, may be in the process of being formed by the Potter’s hand because you are enduring a seemingly endless inferno of difficulty. Take heart, though, that God’s vision and will for you is greater than you can ever imagine, for He promises that He will.

“console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).

That is a wonderful promise indeed, even if that promise seems impossible right now. For Hannah, it is years and years in the making. That does not mean that God forgets her, but rather that He is waiting for her to come to Him with a spirit of reverence and complete surrender.

Hannah’s husband Elkanah, for all of his imperfect faults, does love her. He strives to give her a double portion during their annual trek to Shiloh for worship and feasting, which greatly enrages Peninnah. His feeble attempts at comforting his wife are well intentioned, but they unfortunately come across as insensitive and obtuse when he says:

“Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons” (1 Samuel 1:8)?

Well-meaning people in your life have likely, and imperfectly, done the same when they try to make you feel better, but they invariably make you feel worse. That does not mean they do not care for you – quite the opposite. They are just not the best at showing their compassion or saying the right words. While those words, in fact, may be annoying and frustrating and add rather than detract from your strife, they are really given in the spirit of help and consolation.

Meanwhile, Hannah, for her part, admirably refuses to elevate Elkanah or their marriage as the false, counterfeit idol for her happiness and chooses, instead, to commit her joy in fulfilling God’s will. She understands that any person, thing, or institution is not the foundation for her eternal peace since only the Lord of hosts – Jehovah Sabaoth – can provide that. So, it is to Him, and Him only, that she turns.

Thus, unaccompanied by her husband and starving because her all-consuming grief has taken away her appetite, Hannah prays at the tabernacle with silent groans as the Holy Spirit intercedes for her. Hannah expresses her weakness and despair to her Abba Father, pouring out her soul utterly and completely, with lips moving and heart weeping. She makes a specific request for a male child (yes, we can be specific with our God!), and in doing so,

“be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Even though Hannah has prayed countless times and years before this moment, as you likely have as well, her motive noticeably shifts. Why? Because through her sacrifice of worship at this moment in time, she finally and fully abides in the vine of His lordship and concentrates on glorifying Him rather than achieving her own personal desires.

Remember, though, that even as she now fully aligns herself with God’s will rather than her own, and even though you may get your heart right with God, the world may still see you through the fallible human lens of misunderstanding your behavior.  As a prime example, Eli, the priest at the tabernacle, assumes that she is drunk and disorderly, just like most everyone else is during the annual feasts of that time since everyone was merely doing right in their own eyes. Eli unfairly accuses Hannah of being totally inebriated and out of her mind since her mouth is moving, but no sound comes out.

Yes, our behavior has at times been misconstrued and misunderstood by others, for they simply do not understand what we are thinking, feeling, and doing. We have undoubtedly done the same to others. While we may be quick to judge Eli, remember that we must.

“first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

Hannah, now sanctified and set apart because she washes herself in the healing water of God’s baptismal fountain of mercy, further shows remarkable self-discipline when she responds with grace rather than offense, and gentleness rather than contempt. She respectfully responds to Eli:

“No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now” (1 Samuel 1:15-16).

Think about this for a moment. Hannah never complains to anyone about her struggle. She chooses not to drown or numb her inner affliction with substances that affect her mind, body, and spirit. Her husband knows she is grieving, but he simply has difficulty empathizing with his wife’s deep-seated and all-consuming desire for a child. Hannah does not go around and gripe about her frustrations to everyone within earshot. In the world’s eye, Hannah definitely has reason to complain about her external circumstances with a contentious woman living in her house, undisciplined, arrogant children that are her husband’s priestly legacy, an ineffective albeit loving spouse, a God who seemingly refuses to give her a child, her society rejecting her, and now a person from the church who falsely accuses her. Yet in God’s eye, Hannah models how to keep her words and behavior pure and respectful despite what the world says.

Not only that, despite her circumstances and through Hannah’s utter humility and deference, she makes the inconceivable vow to give back to God her most precious and prized possession that she longs for, her one and only son whom she pleads for, the son whom she believes God for, and for whom she unceasingly continues to hold out hope that she will eventually conceive. In doing so, foretells God’s lending us His Son for our benefit and salvation:

“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” (I Samuel 1:11).

Hannah, finally, has been completely refined in the fire, and the wasted, impure dross of her grief has been transformed amidst the purity of God’s redemptive, perfect love. Through her perseverance, humility, and faithfulness, Hannah immediately feels lighter after laying her cares at the feet of God, her burden is lifted, and she has now attained the peace that surpasses all understanding to the point where she

“went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (I Samuel 1:18).

Hannah is no longer in mourning and can now eat her sacred portion according to Deuteronomy 26:14 and because her appetite has finally returned. Her countenance has been lifted, and her face portrays the rejoicing radiance reflected in her heart. Hannah is given hope that God will fulfill her deepest desires because she first seeks His kingdom, not the other way around. She still hopes for a child, but her ultimate faith is now in her fellowship and trust in God.

In the fullness of time, Hannah does conceive and give birth to Samuel, whose name aptly means “heard by God”, upon their return to Ramoth’s rural hill country inside Ephraim. Hannah nobly does not rub Peninnah’s nose in her triumph as many of us would do as revenge against Peninnah’s insidious, unrelenting provoking of Hannah into bitter misery. Notice that when Hannah’s circumstances are either overwhelming negative or positive, she remains a faithful servant both in word and deed.

Note, too, that Hannah does not succumb to the temptation that as she receives her blessing, she no longer is held to fulfilling her vow to God. Sometimes, we essentially forget about, or choose to ignore, completing our end of the bargain once God grants our request. But not Hannah, for she understands that,

“when you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—” (Ecclesiastes 5:4).

Thus, Hannah keeps Samuel for a period of three years until he is weaned, meaning he no longer has to depend on his mother to nurse. She purposefully and carefully instructs him in the ways of God, quite opposite to the Peninnah’s haughty and insolent parenting of the other children in their household. Samuel is ready to move onto the meat of his life rather than the milk of his infancy, and it is then that Hannah fulfills her vow and brings him back to the tabernacle, to Eli (remember the guy who falsely accused her of drinking?), a man’s whose own two sons Hophni (meaning “pugilist” or “fighter”), and Phinehas (meaning “mouth of brass” or “mouth of a serpent”) are despicable characters of brutality and lust who eventually bring their own family’s priestly inheritance to ruin. Samuel, though, is poised to become the discerning, prayerful, and wise prophet that God desires in His priests due to Hannah’s loving hand. God was just waiting for the fullness of time in conjunction with the fullness of Hannah’s servant heart.

Picture the scene: Hannah is about to entrust her precious toddler, whom she fretted and agonized over, to an idolatrous, corrupt church, an incompetent father, a wholly ineffective priest, and a rotten environment of debauchery to raise her son for God for the duration of Samuel’s life. While her husband Eli could have renounced Hannah’s vow per Mosaic law and thus make it null and void, remember that he loves Hannah and will do everything in his power to please her. And pleasing God is what pleases her. She gently relinquishes Samuel’s hand into the hand of God and to Eli, and lends him back to the One over whom her heart rejoices as she says,

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:27).  

As she walks away from the tabernacle childless and alone once more, likely facing more barbarous treatment at the hands of Peninnah, Hannah composes perhaps the most miraculous and astounding prayer, mirrored by Mary, the mother of Jesus in her Magnificat recorded in Luke’s gospel 1:46-55, and she sings as she gives her son away. Not when she conceives. Not when she gives birth. Not when her prayer is answered. She lifts her song of thanksgiving and praise as she returns to God the gift that He has given her with utmost trust, hope, and love. She relies on the fact that He will fulfill His plans for her despite the faithless, incorrigible world, and with the expectation that she may never have another child. Hannah’s prayer bears repeating:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has born seven, and she who has many children has become feeble.

The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed” (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Are you able to sing this song if the child that you fervently prayed for is no longer yours to keep, to hold, to cherish, and to embrace? God, through Hannah, soberly reminds us that He lends our children to us only for a time. One of the hardest events as a mother, and as a parent, is to fully trust God with our child’s welfare. God also soberly reminds us that children do not fully complete or satisfy us – only He can do that. Your identity is not in being a mother or even as a beloved spouse; your identity is being His daughter and a child of the living God.

Hannah is completely ignorant of the fact that God’s ultimate plan and her initial sacrifice would eventually lead down the path that provides for our salvation. She is being faithful to her faithful God. She sacrifices to Him so that He can later sacrifice His only begotten son for us. While Hannah suffers through her false, unreliable feelings of unworthiness and doubt that rob her of her peace, God remains longsuffering beside her. He loves her that much, just as He loves you.

Finally, Hannah arrives back home where she adoringly hand stitches a blue robe to give to Samuel every year at the annual feast, and is given the added gift of resting her eyes on her young boy who grows into a dedicated man of God. Unbeknownst to her, God has a deeper plan of restoration and redemption in store for her. Just as He provides Job with an abundance of family and wealth after he too walked through the scorching heat of trials, Hannah is blessed with three more sons and two daughters, rewarded and blessed for her ultimate faith in His goodness and peace, which is later echoed in Jesus’s words to us:

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

If you are that Hannah, someone who continually and desperately cries out to God but is still caught up in the vicious cycle of anxiety and depression, wondering if He will ever satisfy your deepest longing or cure your deepest struggle, ask yourself this: Are you truly surrendering to His will, or are you picking your burden back up, thinking that somehow in your own strength you can solve your problem?

Here’s how you know: If you continue to fret and to worry, then you haven’t truly laid it at His feet. You do not have peace because you have not trusted in the One who gives you peace. Your daily desperation exposes your heart of doubt and unbelief, but your freedom and joy are evidence of your trust and faith in Him.

One day, you can be that Hannah who looks back at the raging storm of distress and understand that all He desires for you is to enter into His will, not yours. The fires of your adversity are to incinerate the flesh of your mistrust so that you are left with the heart and soul of God. God’s everlasting and life-giving promise to you is that,

“If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

He remains forever faithful. It is never too late to put your trust in Him for His peace and for your salvation. Take Hannah’s inspirational journey and finally pour out your soul to God, not to manipulate Him in order to give you what you want, but so that your life, your heart, and your soul magnifies His glory because of His unending, everlasting, and abounding love for you.

Amen and Amen.