Have you ever prayed for something, really hard? This could be something concerning a health need, salvation need for someone, or just a deep desire that you have had. Did you feel that if God didn't answer your prayer, you wouldn't know what you would do?
Meet our sister Hannah. She demonstrates such a wonderful example to us concerning fervency in prayer, commitment, and faithfulness.
~1 Samuel 1:1-11
Hannah's great desire was to have a son. Day after day, month after month, and year after year she continued to ask God for her heart's desire. She wept to God and even fasted. Why didn't God answer her request? After pondering this thought for a while, this is what God showed me. I feel that by allowing her to wait, God was building up her patience, faith, and trust in Him. If she could trust Him by answering her single request, she could trust Him with anything. This I believe is the same for us. If we can't trust God in the small areas of life, how can He expect us to trust Him with the big areas of our lives?
Hannah got so desperate that she actually made a vow almost like a bargain with God. What great faith and boldness this woman had! Vows or promises as we consider them today were held very seriously back then. If you would break your promise you would suffer with serious consequences, especially if you made them with God. I think this is such a good reminder to all of us to watch what we say, because God weighs out every word, and we will be held accountable for it. A great truth that we can pull from this is that Hannah did not retaliate against others or give up hope, instead she honestly prayed before God! How hard it must have been for her to make that vow, and after the Lord
had blessed her with her son how much harder it must have been for her to keep it. I mean after nursing and taking care of him for around 3 years how could she just give him up? Could you imagine the thoughts and feelings that must have been going through her head? It shows how much character this woman had, and because of her obedience, God blessed her far beyond what she could have imagined. Samuel was used as one of the greatest prophets in Israel and she was also blessed with many children. How great our God is!
Lastly, we read in 1 Samuel 2:1-2 about Hannah's rejoicing. Finally God had answered the desire of her heart!! The theme of her rejoicing prayer was her confidence in God's sovereignty and her thankfulness for His blessings. Like Hannah, we need to be confident in God's ultimate control over the events and situations in our lives, and we need/should be thankful for the ways in which He has blessed us. By praising Him for all the gifts and blessings that He continually gives us, we acknowledge His ultimate control over all the affairs of our lives and through this we remain humble reminding ourselves that it's not because of us, but through God only. I read this and I thought it was
so true, "In our fast-paced world, friends come and go, and circumstances change. It's difficult to find a solid foundation that will not change. However, God is always present and ready to help, even when all else seems to be falling apart. Remember that it's His timing and not ours. Hope in Him, because He will NEVER fail us.
