Hope in the Bible: Hannah Trusted for a Child
Have you ever longed for something the ache was unbearable?
Hannah did. She longed to be a mother. Matters were only made worse when her husband’s other wife kept having children and taunting her for it. {1 Samuel 1:1-8}
When they went to the temple for House of the Lord, Hannah had been provoked so much she wept. {! Samuel 1:7}. She poured out her deep anguish to the Lord, weeping bitterly. {1 Samuel 1:10}
Eli the priest thought she was drunk when he saw her, but she explained how deeply troubled her heart was. The priest provided a blessing that the Lord would grant her wish. {1 Samuel 1:17-20}
Hannah went home with her husband and had the child she longed for, naming him Samuel. When he was old enough to be weaned she took him to the temple and left him there. After all those years of longing and waiting, she gave what she wanted most to the Lord. That is what we call faith. {1 Samuel 1:21-28}
Hannah had hope the Lord would hear her and answer her prayer. When she completely surrendered to him and poured out her heart to him, he did just that. Then in a show of faith, she gave the child back to the Lord. She was blessed for her faithfulness with three more sons and two daughters. {1 Samuel 2:21}
Hannah teaches us what true faith and giving back to the Lord really means. Could you do what Hannah did?