1 Samuel 1-3
*Click here to read this passage:
“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.”
“….and the Lord remembered her.”
I have known several people who have struggled with infertility
and the intense heartbreak that can be involved. I have also known several people whose prayers have been
answered either by finally conceiving a child after years of trying or through
the blessing of adopting a child. Hannah
is one of several examples in the Bible where God blesses a barren woman with a
baby. After years and years of
sorrow and probably feeling worthless (since that was viewed as the main role
for a woman during that time and culture), God gives Hannah a son.
Hannah had promised to devote her son to the Lord, and she
does. Samuel – “Because I asked
the Lord for him.” ‘Samuel’ sounds
like the Hebrew for heard. God heard Hannah’s cry; then later
God’s voice is heard by Samuel. It
says that in those days the word of the Lord was rare and that there were not
many visions. God chose Hannah’s
son to be a vessel for His voice and a leader for His people. God also continues to be gracious to
Hannah and gives her three more sons and two daughters.
I think Hannah really gets straight to the heart of God in her
prayer in chapter 2, verse 8 when she says:
“He raises the
poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them
with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.”
From another translation it is worded like this:
“He puts poor people on their feet again;
He rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,
Restoring dignity and respect to their
lives – a place in the sun” [The
Message].
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