Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 1 Samuel 1: 17, 18, NKJV.
Holy Father and Creator, thank You so much for the privilege of giving You our burdens, with the assurance that all will be well. For this we give You thanks, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I really need to follow this advice! I always give God my burdens, but I do not always go in peace. I linger behind to see if He could use some of my “expertise,” in solving my problems. It is always so refreshing, though, to see the Hannah’s who know how to go their way, and eat, and be, sad no more, after praying! I believe that the way we live our lives has a lot to do with how much we are willing to trust God.
Hannah seemed to be a very focused individual. You do not get the feeling, by reading her story, that she was “tossed to and fro” in her spirit (Ephesians 4: 14). She seemed to have been a woman with a “made-up mind.” God knows who He can trust with certain trials. Hannah’s trial was not an easy one. This is Hannah’s situation: She is part of a triangle. Because of the way Elkanah loves her, it is most likely that she was his first wife (1 Samuel 1: 5). It is possible that her rival came on the scene, because Hannah had no children. Peninnah most likely became Elkanah’s wife in order to carry on his legacy.
In the days in which our story took place, this must have been rather humilliating for Hannah. Scripture describes it this way: “the LORD had closed her womb” (5b). That could have represented God’s displeasure, in the eyes of other human beings. Obviously, this was rather painful for Hannah (6, 7). Her adversary did not allow her to forget her sorrowful lot. Nevertheless, there are some details about the way Hannah handled the situation that are worthy of mention, and from which we can learn a lesson or two:
She did not allow the adversary to spoil her relationship with her husband. She responded to his encouragement. She kept the dialogue between them going. He finally convinced her that (because of his love for her) he [meant] more to [her] than ten sons” (8). That declaration of love seemed to have had an empowering effect upon Hannah. The following verse reads, “Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up (9). Do not allow the adversary to disable you with discouragement and keep you down! Do not allow him to destroy the relationships that are really important to you. Negativity steals our power, and quenches our desire to use our spiritual resources (prayer, reading the Bible, keeping a spiritual song, or hymn, in our hearts). Not so with Hannah! She stood up, and even, “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD” (10, emphasis provided).
She did not give the adversary the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. “If am am going to weep, I will do it in the presence of the LORD!” She took her burden to the only One who could help her. In His presence she could bare her soul. She could express the depth of her sorrow to Him, for He cares. She was so completely immersed in prayer to the LORD, that she was not even aware of the presence of Eli, the high priest, until he spoke to her. She had gone up to the temple to pray, and she prayed to the LORD ” ‘. . . out of [her] great anguish and grief'” (15).
And then, “the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” Yes my friends, after she gave her burden to God, she went in peace! There is a lot to cry about in our world. Hannah’s situation is just one of many. It may be a very common one, in today’s society, but Hannah’s God, is the same God that we have the privilege of praying to. His ear is not heavy, nor His hand short (Isaiah 59: 1); and His heart is still filled with love for His creatures. I pray that we will continue to take Him our problems, and after we do, may He give us the faith to leave them with Him, and “go in peace.”
NOTE: Happy Birthday our little darling Mikey, our precious grandson! You are the love of our lives, and our precious little sunlight! You have brought such great joy to our heart and lives; and we simply love you! May you forever enjoy happy birthdays!
From all of us!