In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.
How do you get what you want?
Throwing a fit doesn’t work very often. It only makes onlookers put more space between them and you. Those tears a wasted.
But the tears of the devoted are never wasted. One who is devoted to something important sheds tears only when they cannot be held back. The face of the devoted shows strength and wisdom. Tears power down those cheeks, determined to leave tracks, determined to change what has been.
Can a strong woman stay strong when she’s being teased and irritated by an opponent? Hannah could. She went to God and trusted Him. After years of being barren, Hannah wept before the Lord and diligently prayed without a sound. Such a scene was so odd that she was seen as a drunken woman, not a prayerful one.
Hannah told the priest that she was praying out of her anguish and grief. He answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” Hannah’s tears were powerful.
She stopped weeping and trusted that God had heard her prayers. In verse 27, she told the priest when she presented her son to him, “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.” Then in chapter two, she gave a ten-verse prayer in praise of God. The Lord also gave Hannah three other sons and two daughters. And she saw her firstborn son, Samuel, as he grew up in the service of the Lord.
Hannah’s devotion paid off for her and for Samuel.
No comments:
Post a Comment