Readings for today: 1 Samuel 1-3
Hannah is one of my favorite people in the Bible. Probably because I have met many women like her over the years. Women of great faith. Women of deep trust. Women who believe with all their hearts. They often endure incredible hardship and suffering. They are full of grief and pain. They’ve endured terrible trauma. But still they seek God. Still they serve God. One of the things I get to do when I travel to places like Ethiopia or South Sudan or Uganda is sit with women and listen to their stories. Many of them have been sexually abused. Many of them have lost children. Many of them have been beaten and bear the scars of physical violence on their bodies. Somehow they find the strength to endure. It’s incredible and frankly miraculous. Sadly, I see some of the same dynamics here at home as well. Despite the “progressive” nature of our modern, first world society, women still report being harassed and abused far too often. Many of them suffer deep grief at the loss of children through miscarriage or abortion. Many are beaten and bear the scars on their bodies. Many are treated as disposable in relationships. Many face discrimination in the workplace because of their gender. I’ve sat with them. I’ve heard their stories. And somehow they find the strength to endure. Again, I find it incredible and miraculous.
Perhaps that’s why I love Hannah so much. She reminds me of many of the women in my own life. She seeks God with all her heart. She trusts God even in the midst of her suffering. She is not afraid to bring to God the deepest desires of her heart. And God honors her. God answers her prayers. And even then, Hannah remains true. She never turns her back. She doesn’t seek to keep Samuel to herself. She fulfills her vow and dedicates him to the Lord. I can’t imagine the kind of faith it would take to leave your only child with the priests and return home with empty arms once again. But Hannah’s prayer says it all. “No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one other than you! There is no rock like our God! Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, letting proud talk come out of your mouth! For the Lord is a God who knows; he evaluates what people do. The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumble find their strength reinforced. Those who are well-fed hire themselves out to earn food, but the hungry no longer lack. Even the barren woman gives birth to seven, but the one with many children withers away. The Lord both kills and gives life; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy; he humbles and he exalts. He lifts the weak from the dust; he raises the poor from the ash heap to seat them with princes and to bestow on them an honored position. The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them. He watches over his holy ones, but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness, for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails. The Lord shatters his adversaries; he thunders against them from the heavens. The Lord executes judgment to the ends of the earth. He will strengthen his king and exalt the power of his anointed one.” (1 Samuel 2:2-10 NET) She knows God is sovereign. She knows God is good. She knows God sees her barren condition. And she knows He will provide according to His perfect will.
Prayers like Hannah’s humble me deeply. They expose how self-centered my prayers too often are. I long for a faith like Hannah’s. I long to trust like Hannah. I long to believe like Hannah. Thankfully, as I continue to seek God year after year, I find such faith stirring up in my heart. God drawing near. God making Himself known. God showing Himself trustworthy time and again. All that I have and all that I am belongs to Him. My life and my future and my family and the church I serve and the people I love and the partners I minister alongside are all in His hands.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 4-8