God Remembered.
Beauty in the Broken: Just like God remembered Hannah, He will remember you also.
Barrenness to Bitterness
In my journey through the Bible to find encouragement for my own fertility challenges, I came across the story of Hannah.
Just like Hannah, the start of my journey was filled with unexpected outcomes.
We can look at Hannah’s story and draw encouragement and hope through her experience,
because what God has done for one, He’ll do for all (Acts 10:34).
I’m sure when Hannah married Elkanah,
she was overjoyed to be blessed with a husband who loved her for who she was, wanted to create a family with her and most importantly, loved God.
Even though her husband had another wife who had blessed him with children, she still desired to have a child of her own.
Because of Elkanah’s ability to father other children, the shame of Hannah’s fertility challenges was all on her.
She became known as a barren woman and bitterness began to grow in Hannah’s heart.
But God Remembered.
Barrenness back in biblical times was seen as punishment for something that one had done wrong.
Sometimes during our own fertility journeys it could feel as if we too are being punished for some known or unknown slight to God.
But I want you to remember that it is God who is ultimately in charge of our lives and the potential lives of our unborn children.
Not only was Hannah feeling sorrowful because of internal feelings of negative self-worth,
she also was dealing with a sister wife whose jealousy caused her to mock and ridicule her situation,
and a husband, who while loving, didn’t truly understand what she was going through.
Do you have people in your life that have made negative comments about your lack of children?
Whether done on purpose or simply stated out of ignorance, it hurts and can diminish your self-esteem regarding your womanhood.
Hannah’s response to the criticism, misunderstanding and seemingly stagnant prayers was to do what we all have done… weep and turn bitter.
God Remembered.
1 Samuel 1:11 KJV
[11] And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
BUT just like Hannah, as we hit the bottom of the barrel or tap out all of our resources, we still have the ability to pray and know that God is listening (Psalm 34:17).
I ask that as you go about your day to remember these two things:
Like Hannah’s story isn’t through yet, God isn’t through with you.
Sometimes God has to get us into a position to remove some stuff so that what’s underneath – our hearts – can be saved.
1 Samuel 1:19 KJV
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.1.19.KJV
Acts 10:34 KJV
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Beauty in the Broken
In the Japanese art of kintsugi, broken pottery is repaired using precious metals resulting in incredible works of art.
The pottery goes through a long, delicate process to make the necessary repairs that can take several months to complete.
The end result is that the pottery is not only made whole again but is now more highly valued than when it was originally created.
Like that shattered pottery, Hannah was in a place of brokenness as she came before the LORD and laid her soul bare.
And God Remembered.
Lets’ Focus on how God hears our prayers and heals (Psalm 34:18). What can we learn from Hannah’s prayer?
Hannah honored God first.
The first words of Hannah’s prayer are ‘O LORD of hosts’.
Just as Jesus teaches us how we ought to pray (Matthew 6:9-13), we should always come to God acknowledging the power and majesty of just who we are petitioning.
Hannah acknowledged her limitations.
When we humble ourselves (James 4:10) and are honest with God about our situation, we are admitting our own limitations and allowing God’s power to be fully known.
Hannah was specific in her request.
Hannah not only came to God asking for a child, but she also came to God asking for a male child.
Her son grows up to become one of the most influential ministers of the faith.
Sometimes God’s delays serve a bigger purpose than even we can see with our limited view of time.
Hannah prayed by herself, for herself.
While it is wonderful to be surrounded by a praying group of people all petitioning God on your behalf, God still wants to hear from you Himself.
He wants to have a personal relationship with you
that can only happen when you actively put the time and effort into seeking Him through prayer, Bible, and quiet time.
Hannah knew who to entrust her prayer request to.
Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit on whom to share your struggles with because all words of wisdom aren’t wise.
It’s noted that the sons of Eli were priests in the temple that Hannah’s family was worshipping at, yet it wasn’t either son that approached Hannah but Eli.
1 Samuel 2:12 tells how Eli’s sons were evil and knew not God.
Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit on whom to share your struggles with because all words of wisdom aren’t wise.
God Remembered.
Hannah left her worry at the throne.
Upon receiving the blessing words from Eli, Hannah immediately got up, ate, and lost her sadness.
How is this possible?
Because through her prayer and quiet time with God,
even though there was no guarantee when or how God was going to bless her, she knew with assurance that God had heard her.
Just like God remembered Hannah, he will remember you also.
Remember that God’s desire is for us not to stay broken,
but to be made whole through the use of His precious metal… love.
Modeling Integrity
Hannah’s story doesn’t end with her son Samuel’s birth.
After her son was born, Hannah honored her vow to give him back to God.
While we can look at Hannah’s story and see the transformation of her brokenness turn into wholeness,
know that Hannah’s gratitude didn’t end with Samuel’s birth but continued even through her separation from her beloved son.
At the time of the next yearly sacrifice, Samuel would have only been a few months old.
Can you imagine how hard this must have been for Hannah?
Her prayers were answered,
and she was able to give birth to a wonderful, baby boy,
but in the back of her mind, she knew that her time with him was limited.
How have you reacted in similar situations?
Have you ever said ‘Lord if you do this, I’ll do that’
but when God fulfilled His end of the covenant you struggled to want to fulfill your part?
What Hannah teaches us is that God desires us to act with integrity in every situation.
Integrity can be defined as the quality or state of being complete or undivided (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Hannah was sure in her love for Samuel but more importantly, she was complete and undivided in her love for God.
In your prayer time with God, be sure to make your petitions known to Him with the conviction that whatever His answer is, you will honor Him first.
The blessing of motherhood is that it allows us to show our children the love that our heavenly Father always shows us.
Hannah honors her commitment with a joyful heart.
And Hannah recognizes that wonderful gift that God had given her,
and treasures the opportunity to be able to lend and/or give her gift back to God.
She thanks Him for blessing her with his life and at the end of her testimony, we see Samuel, the child, worship the Lord as well.
What an amazing thing to note!
Children truly do imitate what they see.
Because Samuel witnessed his mother worshipping God, he was able to do the same thing, even at such a young age.
What actions will your future children imitate?
Will they see you worship God even when times are hard?
And will they see you honoring God in your everyday actions so that they too grow up as people of integrity?
God has given you this time to draw closer to Him so that when your petition is fulfilled, He’ll be able to get the true honor and glory that He deserves.
Be blessed and fruitful!
1 Samuel 1:26-27 KJV
[26] And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
[27] For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
God Remembered.
Also Read: 10 Prayers God Always Answers – Diademng (thediademng.org)
God Remembered.
1 Samuel 1:19 KJV
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD,
and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
I loved you even more than you’ll say here. The picture is nice and your writing is stylish, but you read it quickly. I think you should give it another chance soon. I’ll likely do that again and again if you keep this walk safe.