Hannah's Situation

My attention is drawn to the story of Hannah as recorded in 1Samuel 1 today. Hannah had no child while her step-wife had children. She was being oppressed by this other woman. Her case seemed hopeless.

Despite this, she kept serving her God. She never decided to boycott going to the temple to worship God. She didn't get tired of seeking God's face. She focused on God. Not her problem. She didn't fail. She passed the test of time. Challenges kept reeling in but she stood firmly on the promise of God, I believe. Her situation was not big enough to drag her from the presence of God. Instead, it strengthened her resolve to worship God. She's who we can call a true worshipper. She trusted God even when things didn't seem to fall in place for her. She didn't try to jump the queue. She was ready to wait on the Lord till her season came.

She kept asking. She prayed.  And prayed. . . And prayed. She was persistent. Year in, year out, she waited for the door to be opened to her. She kept asking, seeking and knocking. She went further to make a vow to The Lord. A vow which she made sure she fulfilled. Hannah made a seemingly difficult committment and she made sure she fulfilled her promise. She could have changed her mind along the like many people who have had reasons to wait for the fruit of the womb for a long time, but she didn't.

Hannah understood that God was with her. She poured her heart out to Him. She felt her feeling under God. She went to seek the face of God. . . As her father and friend. She spoke about her hurts and pains to Him. She was not afraid or ashamed to talk to Him about how she felt exactly. She wept before her God. She found solace in Him. She understood that only God had/has the power to touch the deepest parts of her- which no man could. God understands how we feel. And that places Him in the best position to handle every emotional hurt. He alone can soothe any pain our soul may feel.

One thing I see here is God compensating her with her husband's support. That was a consolation price for her. He was there for her, defending her. He was doing everything possible to make her happy. He wasn't adding salt to her 'wound' by rubbing it in her face that she was without child. Or committing the error many men in our day commit- pulling themselves off the infertility problem. Elkanah understood that they were in the situation together. Just like my husband would say, "Won ti le po" (they are glued together).

Her issue was his issue too. Nothing could separate them. Nothing was strong enough to tear their love for each other apart. Infertility has caused many marriages to fall apart. Elkanah is a wonderful example of what a godly husband should be like in the case of existent infertility.

May the Lord attend to every malignant problem in Your life today, as you trust Him alone to carry you out of the ditch you are in in Jesus' powerful name!