This is a paraphrase of the theme of 1 Samuel 1:1-20. I suggest reading this passage to really get the full story. Hannah was a real woman with real thoughts, feelings, and desires. Sometimes I get into the groove of thinking of Bible characters as just that- characters in a story. But they were as real as you and I. I hope you are reminded of this as you read this sketch of Hannah.
Hannah had gone to worship the LORD with her husband and his
other wife. Elkanah greatly loved her and treated her in the most loving and
kind way, but he did not understand the deep longing for children that she had.
He was perplexed and asked her if he was not good enough.
The LORD
had shut up her womb.
Hannah
was feeling bitter, discontent, and angry. The fact that she had been denied
motherhood weighed heavily upon her. Her spirit was hardened.
But she
prayed.
She
wept, great sobs. Her words could not even come out of her mouth. Only her lips
moved. She prayed to the same LORD Who had shut up her womb, the same LORD Who
had denied the gift of motherhood to her thus far. Jehovah Jireh, the same LORD
Who promises to provide for our needs if we only trust Him.
She was
His handmaid, a willing servant. She poured out her soul. She poured out her
great longing and desire to have a child. She prayed specifically for a baby
boy that could be given back to the LORD to serve Him all his days.
But this
was not her greatest desire.
Her
greatest desire was to serve and glorify her LORD. She was His handmaid. She
was promising to give back to Him the very thing that it seemed would fulfill
her great aching desire to be a mother. That longing that caused her to weep,
to struggle with anger, bitterness, and depression- THAT child could NOT fulfill
this great longing.
Only the
LORD could fulfill so great a longing.
Because
Hannah realized this, the LORD remembered her and answered her prayer.
This is great! No matter the problem, the answer is to look up. ☺
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