Getting
familiar with Hannah, here’s the anecdote…
Hannah, a beautiful name that means
“grace”, was a very ordinary woman who lived in an extraordinary time – a wife,
mother and homemaker. She was married to a man named Elkanah who dearly loved
her but he also had another wife. The other wife, Peninnah, had children
but not Hannah – “the Lord had closed her womb” a barren woman. The
story begins in 1 Samuel 1:1.
Heart’s desire – Grace – Desperation
– Purpose
Amplifying
the circles with these points I learned from her journey as a woman – Hannah, a
woman of prayer.
Heart’s
Desire
What was her heart’s desire?
Since
she was a barren woman, she begged and wept bitterly and prayed for a son.
1
Samuel 1:10 “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.”
She
was driven to prayer by the lack of a child – it was a great sorrow to her. She
entered into the Lord's tabernacle to pray for her deepest need. She
even made a vow before God, a promise to God that if she bore a son, she would
give him back for God's service. Hannah followed through on that promise and
God was honored.
Like Hannah, we have our own unique
desires. We strongly wish for something. Are you aware that God knows our
deepest desires? He’s just waiting for a drive to pray – an approach before His
throne.
Psalms
37:4 says.. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of
your heart. Hannah delighted herself in the
Lord and God has blessed her with a son named Samuel – her deepest longing.
Are
we getting what we want through our own strength and out of God’s will? Let’s
examine our hearts.
Grace
Hannah’s
life is a living example of grace and how we receive it.
Grace
means to find favor even though it hasn’t been or deserved. Hannah didn’t do
anything to receive God’s blessings. She simply cried out to Him to help her
and had faith that He would – the grace of God did the rest.
Ephesians
2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God.
God’s
grace is enough! His love is free of conditions – we just need to rely solely
upon His grace!
Desperation
Hannah’s
prayer was true pleading to the Lord, with many tears – out of a desperate
heart.
1
Samuel 1:5-16 “Not so, my Lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply
troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to
the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying
here out of my great anguish and grief.”
Hannah
poured out her heart to God and asked with great desperation. God found her
heart – God was pleased in her desperation which was surrendered in prayer.
Hannah’s
perseverance is astounding! She never stopped praying and never doubted God’s
abilities. She kept praying through her pain.
"Desperation
meets Faith"
When desperation meets faith
The curse is broken
A closed mind is open
Words of healing are spoken
When desperation meets faith
Jesus moves with compassion
Something good starts
to happen
When desperation meets faith
Purpose
For
many such “barren women”, life could have no purpose for them. God will
use us and our lives for His greater purposes. God used Hannah’s barrenness to
meet her in the midst of her trouble.
As I have discussed in my previous
post, we are closer to God when we are brokenhearted. Hannah grabbed this opportunity
to become closer to God and experience His unfailing love. God closed her
womb to see what would produce – it was indeed God’s power! We can stand
up like Hannah - just seek, surrender to God and allow desperation to show.
God
delights in our prayers when they are spoken from the heart.
God can find such a heart!
