Hannah: A Woman Who Overcame

The story of the Bible babe of Hannah comes from the book of 1Samuel which was written over 3000 years ago.  What is so amazing about the Bible is that we can read these stories today and still relate to them.  (See Hebrews 4:13).  Hannah may have lived in a different time and culture, but she had many of the same problems to overcome that we do today.  Her first problem was that her husband had another wife.  Well I suppose that’s one we can’t relate to, but imagine the jealousy.  Have you ever been jealous of someone?  Hannah suffered from infertility.  You may have gone through that painful situation or know someone who has.  Her rival, Penninah, aka the other wife, kept provoking her year after year because she had what Hannah so desperately wanted – children.  If we’re honest we probably know many women who have something we want and it can be a struggle for us.  Hannah was depressed, had a husband who could be insensitive, and then to top it off was accused by Eli the priest of being drunk when she was pouring her heart out to the Lord.  So suffice it to say, Hannah had some problems to overcome.  Is there anything in Hannah’s life you can relate to?

How did Hannah deal with all this?  She got honest with God.  The Bible says she poured her heart out to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15).  Maybe some of us need to do that today.  After she prays and receives some added encouragement from Eli, verse 18 of the same chapter says “her face was no longer downcast.”  And then comes the happy ending.  Don’t you love happy endings?  Hannah ends up giving birth to Samuel, who becomes a great judge and leader in Israel and God blesses her with five more children as well.

So what are some lessons we can learn from Hannah’s life?  First, make your requests known to God (Philippians 4: 6-7).  He loves you so much and no request is too big or too small.  God may not give you a “yes” answer like He did with Hannah.  He may be saying “wait” or “no, that’s not My plan for you,” which brings us to our next lesson.  Trust God in your circumstances.  That’s a hard one to get a handle on sometimes.  His perspective is different than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).  He sees things we don’t see and knows things we don’t understand.  And He never does anything that isn’t for our good (Jeremiah 29:11). 

What is your Samuel today?  That thing you desperately want?  Have you taken it to God?  Sometimes we take it to God, but don’t leave it with Him.  We like to take it back again and again.  Sometimes it’s a daily choice to leave it with Him, again and again.

This is just a quick snapshot of Hannah’s story. Not only was she an overcomer but a woman of integrity and humility as well.  So I encourage you to read her whole story in 1Samuel 1:1 – 2:20.  There is much to be learned from these Bible babes!

 

Written by Luanne Glass, Women's Director