Hannah’s Heart
Having a dream isn't merely enough without the hand of God to move mountains, open doors
and release His blessing. Hannah was a woman
from the Bible who wasn’t afraid of going to God and pleading for His hand to
move on her behalf. She went into the
temple and her prayer went something like this: “Oh Lord almighty, if you will
only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your
servant…” Hannah was very
sorrowful and grievous in her spirit. To
the one sitting by (the priest) and watching, her behavior seemed careless
and irreverent. She was even accused of
being drunk!
She must have looked very peculiar, as
scripture says, laying there with her mouth moving but no words coming out. But as the story continues, we learn that
Hannah wasn’t trying to be irreverent nor had she had anything to drink. Her actions came from a heart that was desperate for
God to meet a great need in her life. Through the years, I’ve learned that it’s almost always the
desperate ones that are willing to stand out, risk it all and be peculiar in front of man, especially
once they’ve figured out that man can’t fix a God-sized problem.
Hannah’s story begins in the
first chapter of 1 Samuel. She’s been
married for a while and wants a child but has no success at getting
pregnant. To top it all off, we find out
that she shares a husband with another wife, named Peninnah, who has given
birth to several children. Women have asked me, "why did God allow
men to spread themselves around with so many women in the
Bible and why did God allow those women to
be used like property?" My response, “please don’t blame God for man’s
ignorance, pride and indulgence!” Also,
remember that many women from “those days” were eager to be a part of
or share a household with other wives just so that they could have a home. So the story continues… Peninnah flaunts herself
and her children as she does her best to make Hannah miserable. Hannah gets trapped into a lifestyle that
leads her to a place of overwhelming depression and she becomes fully convinced
that she’ll never be “happy” unless she gets what Peninnah and all the other women
in the land have.
Hannah wasn’t at all satisfied with the hand
that she had been dealt. She wasn’t
content with her circumstance and wanted to be a mother just like her rival, Peninnah. She cried out to God with weeping and fasting
(tears alone won’t move the hand of God).
She poured out her heart completely as she began to make God an extraordinary promise (she promised God her firstborn)! I’m wondering if you have a place in your life where you’ve claimed contentment and now you’re reconsidering that maybe
you just gave up on believing God for something better? Godliness with contentment
is great gain but you have to consider that some women will hide behind this scripture,
using it as an excuse not to try or to keep from having to pursue anything too
difficult. Hannah’s life shows that some things are well worth fervent prayer, a solemn vow and a Godly pursuit! Log in soon and find out more of what we've learned from Hannah’s Heart.
Loving U Like A Sister,
Regina
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