“And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart
exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted
in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.’
‘There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no
rock like our God.’” (1 Samuel 2:1-2, ESV)
The human spirit will at times cry out
from a place of harassment and mistreatment and shout … “Enough!” “I have had enough pain, enough injustice,
enough sacrifice, enough difficulty, enough suffering and enough mistreatment.”
Out of this place and position of desperation, a person can easily began to
plot a plan to inflict pain, revenge and even evil towards their tormenters. A
person may also in this dreadful position, look for a way to just escape the
mistreatment.
Still on relatively rare occasions, some
exceptional people of faith; will in this same awful position look for
something more. Even though they may be suffering in their emotional health, physical
wellbeing and clinging to their sanity by the tiniest thread of hope with their
overallotment of “enough.” They see something more. They see something of greater substance, something
of greater power and significance … something greater than themselves. Their
faith is not in something greater but rather is someone greater than themselves.
This greater someone, is the living God. Amid the ashes of burned up dreams, the
bitter soil of chastisement and the endless blistering of mistreatment; this enduring
the person of faith will sees the fertile soil of God’s enduring love, attentive
care and His promise of a potential abundant harvest. In the midst of anything
and everything, the person of faith looks to the living God as their Savior and
provider of life. They lift up their eyes to the One higher and greater. Even
though the trials of the moments and the suffering of the season might be
painful, their hope rests upon their Heavenly Father.
Hannah a great woman of faith in the Old
Testament was in worst of places in her inability to have a child in a culture
where fruitfulness in bearing children was seen not only the blessing of God but of extreme
importance in the continuance of the family.
She was disregarded, and constantly and scornfully reminded of her
heartbreaking situation by her husband’s other wife. Although her husband loves
her deeply, he cannot do much to alleviate her sad brokenness over all of this
heartache. Yet, she hangs unto the hand
of God, trusting when she cannot see any new hope. Praying faithfully in the
midst of pain and presenting her offerings faithfully to God. After years of
heartbreak and tears, God delivers an abundant harvest in the gift of a son named
Samuel. The name Samuel means “God hears”
and His gift of Samuel is the shining example of the enduring faith of Hannah
and the great love and faithfulness of God towards her.
In the midst of everything and anything,
Hannah held on to her faith and trusted in God through her heartbreak and
tears. Her faith was life to her because
her life was in the hands of God. She
lifted up God and He lifted her up. In
the midst of everything and anything, we can trust our Lord and Savior to be
life to us, as well. Jesus Christ is more than sufficient in everything, when we dealing
with more than enough of everything and anything coming against us.
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my
prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the
enemy” (Psalm 61:1-3, ESV).
Suggested Reading ... 1 Samuel 1& 2
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