Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” 1 Samuel 1:10-11 NLT
Read 1 Samuel 1.
Have you ever longed for something so desperately that every fiber of your being ached inconsolably for it? You wept before God and prayed with all your might. Perhaps you bargained with Him in hopes that it would move His heart.
Sometimes we have not because we ask not, and sometimes when we ask it may be for something that is not for our best. God loves us too much to allow us to settle for something that is less than His best for us. On the other hand, however, there are times God takes us through a journey of waiting, even to the point of desperation, in order to teach us some things about His character. But, oh how sweet when that prayer is finally answered, and our hearts are full of “joy unspeakable and full of glory!” It makes me want to shout, “Hallelujah!”
Years ago, I had two close friends who were going through a similar situation as Hannah, one of the wives of Elkanah, in the first chapter of 1 Samuel. They had both tried to conceive a child for years and had been told they would not be able. However, on Mother’s Day, almost 30 years ago, a man of God who had come to visit our church had sensed that there was someone there who was grieving to bear children but were unable. He asked them to stand so he could pray for them.
Interestingly, both of these ladies were sitting in the choir with me, one on each side. When they stood, everyone around them also stood to lay hands on them and pray. I stood between them and held my arms around them to pray for them. It was such a sweet, tender moment! The man prophesied that within the year, they would both be mothers. I thought, “What a bold and brave thing to say!”
Sure enough, within the month, both women announced to the church that they were expecting babies! God had healed them and blessed them with beautiful children after they had been told this was a dream that would never come true for them. What was wild about this moment, however, was that I was also pregnant, and I hadn’t even been trying! I must have stood too close to these women when I prayed for them! I know without a doubt that God still heals and works miracles today!
In our text, Hannah had grieved year after year when she came to the temple with her husband and his other wife, Penninah. Penninah had been blessed with many children, but Hannah had remained barren all these years. Elkinah tried to comfort her and give her the best cuts of meat when they had offered the sacrifices, but she would lose her appetite when Penninah would taunt her. The longing for a child grieved her heart enough without adding a second wife to rub salt in the wound!
Hannah knew just where to turn. She went to the temple and cried out to God. Eli, the priest, saw her praying with much expression but no sound, and he assumed she must be drunk. However, when she shared with him what she had been praying so desperately for, Eli said, “Go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
And, guess what happened? Yes, by this time next year, she had given birth to none other than one of the greatest prophets and judges of Israel, Samuel.
About three years later, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah gave him back to the Lord by sending him to live in the temple and serve God all his days. I can’t imagine giving my child to someone else to raise, but I admire her faith and dedication to the Lord.
Here is my concern, however. We will talk more about this tomorrow, but Eli had a couple of loser sons, Hophni and Phinehas. These men were wicked and had shown much disregard for the holiness of God. With his track record, did Hannah really trust Eli to raise her son, Samuel, in the fear of the Lord? She must have had rock-solid faith in God to override whatever evil influence was prevalent in the temple at that time!
We’ll pick up tomorrow with the saga of the terror twins! What a dangerous thing to treat the things of God with contempt!
A
