HANNAH: CONFIDENT FAITH
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” One of those axioms we’ve heard most of our lives! But my take on it: I’m glad the makers of black and white TV did not see it that way. We like color television a whole lot better! However, for the sake of nostalgia, every now and then we turn to TCM to watch one of those oldies in black and white!
There’s nothing wrong with wanting things to be better! The Lord God is in the business of turning negatives into positives, and so should we! If a situation of yours can be made better . . . do what you can, with God’s help, to make it better! Being obsessed with it, and distressed by it, has a negative effect on our disposition toward the people associated with our situation.
As children of God, we should take the initiative to improve our situation and our disposition – as did a woman of faith named Hannah – I Samuel 1:1-2:3 . . .
In the desperation of her situation, Hannah “cried out” unto the Lord God! Her situation was such that, as a last resort - which should have been her first, she asked the Lord to do something about it.
“Blessed is she whose hope is in the Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth!” (Ps. 146:5) Hannah’s despair over her situation (She was barren . . . belittled . . . broken . . .) is not difficult for us old-timers to understand – been there, done that, or at least have known of similar stressful situations.
We all can relate to dire moments which if not dealt with eventually affects our overall health. When disillusionments bring us to the breaking point, it is then that we are most vulnerable to attacks from our enemy -- who would have us give up, give in to that old human tendency to feel forgotten and forsaken.
It is at that dismal point - when faith falters, and doubts double down on our psyche, that we as did Hannah must rise above our distress and initiate our determination - inner strength which we possess because of deep and abiding faith in God.
When faith kicks in, doubts die out, and “bitterness of soul” (deep hurt) gives way to a renewed spirit which prompts us to pray!
When this woman of faith felt the Spirit moving in her heart, she responded with: fervent prayer (v. 10) . . . a faithful promise (v. 11) . . . focused presence (12-16).
It’s okay to “pour your heart out” to God our Father - sharing your deepest desires with The One who truly cares. After all, when everything that needs to be has been said and done, it remains that God our Redeemer is The Answer to life’s greatest need and life’s desperate situations.
It’s okay to be specific in making requests known unto God --- “Give your servant a son!” (Does Philippians 4:6 come to mind?)
Hannah, whose husband loved her dearly, also loved him dearly – and, for that reason, she wanted to bear a “son” by Elkanah to be certain of continuing a family heritage of devotion to Jehovah as the one and only God – in keeping with the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”.
The providential presence here of Eli is worthy of note. He just so happened to be in the vicinity of Hannah’s prostration of herself before the Lord? I think not! By the Spirit, he was led to be there to observe a woman praying for a remedy to her situation!
There may be folks in our midst who carry a heavy burden - which no one else knows or understands. Some may be aware of their heaviness, but unable to relate. One or two may not appreciate the burden their friend carries and try to change the subject if the friend’s distress is brought up - so it is important that the burden bearer remain focused on the presence of the Lord . . . be persistent in praying.
Persistence in prayer eventually brings peace and hope to the one fervently praying! We don’t know how long Hannah had desired a child, but we know that she had dealt with this burden for several years.
When Hannah received an assurance that her prayer would be answered, her life began to change for the better. Her petition was not immediately granted, but she experienced peace as soon as she received Eli’s blessing. Hope renewed!
Hannah began to eat again – always a good sign! Her face lit up with a smile that reflected inner joy. The personal presence of a highly regarded priest plus the promise of an answer to prayer, changed her --- outlook on life . . . how she related to the folks in her life . . . her level of trust in the LORD!
Whereas this woman of diminishing faith had begun to wonder whether or not God cared about her, she now felt that not only does God care, but He cares enough to redeem her by answering her prayer in a way that He deems best for her and her family. God answers prayers in ways that He deems best!
Spending time in the presence of the Lord brings about internal change in our hearts which, in effect, determines how we react to, or act upon, the answer we eventually receive to our prayers.
Believers in the Lord are not promised a life of ease but, with Christ as our Savior and the Spirit as our guide, we are promised a constant companion to bring us peace when we go through the valleys.
We may not receive the answer we desired as we prayed, but we can be certain that the Lord God, in his marvelous grace, turns sorrow into joy . . . night into day . . . shadow into sunshine . . . dying into living . . . crying into singing!
Thank God for something to sing about! Hannah praised the Lord as the one and only God – no one is like Him . . . for His omnipotence – no one is as powerful as He . . . for His omniscience – no one knows what He knows.
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!” Amen!
God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for His providential care - those essentials for living the abundant life in the here and now as well as those essentials we need for being carried away into the great beyond.
. . . and we thank Him for His presence which - unlike that of family and friends who come and go – is with us day by day, yea always, reinforcing that sense of wellbeing and contentment so vital for keeping on keeping on.
. . . and we thank Him for His protection - against the destruction of our faith in God by that ancient foe of all who trust in the Lord with all their mind, heart and soul.
. . . and we thank Him for His wonderful peace - with God, others and ourselves – for, it is in the making of peace with our Creator, family, friends and neighbors, as well as that inner self which might have gotten out of touch with the fact that all have sinned and need the Lord, that we get ready to go Home.
. . . and we thank Him for His promise - to take us Home to be with the Lord when our day is done in this habitat for humanity, and when we are ready to share in the victory that has already been won by Him who is not of this world but who loved us and gave Himself for us.
. . . and we thank Him for His preparation of a place for all who answer the call to come out of a life of sinning into a new life of living in the Light of God’s Word.
May each of us heed His standing invitation to “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
. . . and we thank Him for the permanence of that relationship into which we entered when we responded to His invitation by repentance toward God and faith in God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless us - in all our ways each and every day – and keep us faithful unto Him who was, is, and forevermore shall be, our One and only God! Amen!
