Women of the Bible: Hannah

Posted by: Victoria Tropiano// Randi Vasquez Photography

I encourage you to read the first two chapters of 1 Samuel.

We live in a tough world. It's just how it is and how it will be. How you handle things that get thrown your way will determine your character and may even affect events lined up for the future. Hannah from the Bible is one to study and take some serious notes considering she was married to a man, Elkanah, who also happened to have another wife named Penninah. Penninah had no problem getting pregnant and had many sons and daughters. Hannah remained barren and would get teased by Penninah regarding her lack of fertility. It burdened Hannah so much. She went straight to God when she was bitter and hurting most. She made a vow to God that if she were to be blessed with a son, she would give him to the Lord all the days of her life. She did this, and later was blessed with more children for her to raise.

Here's what we can learn from Hannah's experience...

1 Samuel 1:2-20

Pour your heart out to the Healer. Hannah lived in a society that considered barrenness a curse from God. Hannah took her heartache to the Lord and poured it out to Him. It might not be for childbirth, but we all have an unfulfilled longing. Whether it's singleness, disappointment in your marriage, hurt from a family member, job change, home situation, or finding your passion in life, God wants us to pour our hearts out like Hannah. He also wants us to just be satisfied with Him alone. This is hard to do with everything going on in life! We have so much background noise. We can practice putting Him first, which takes time. A good start is to not let your feet hit the floor in the morning without praying to God. When we make Him number one, we will long to know Him and please Him first and foremost. We can remain confident that He will either grant our desires or change them so that they are in alignment with His will for us.

1 Samuel 1:7

Shake it off to the one who died for YOU.

Besides being constantly upset about not having a child, Hannah also had to deal with Peninnah's taunts. They shared the same husband and lived under the same roof, but Peninnah had children which made it more difficult for Hannah when she'd get picked on.

We all have memories of others saying things to us that have hurt us. Whether it might've been about your appearance, performance at school or work, family life, etc, some of us still have pain from words that resonate today. You might not even realize that your self-consciousness stems from these types of situations. Follow what Hannah did when she was ridiculed by Peninnah and put it all at the foot of the cross before God. He knows better than anyone how it feels to be mocked. Jesus was mocked, treated with sarcasm, taunted by Roman leaders and, eventually, was tortured and put to death. Being reminded of that, don't you think Jesus is the best source of comfort when you feel under attack or ridiculed by others? I'd say so. 1 Samuel 1:9-14

You're going to be misunderstood...it's part of the package.

Hannah was greatly misunderstood. She wanted to be a mother so badly and knowing that God could grant her this, she gave it all to Him. When she was praying so hard for God to bless her with a baby, Eli, the priest at the Tabernacle, thought she was drunk and told her to knock it off. This must've made Hannah feel upset considering how devoted she was to live a godly life. Eli trusted her when she told him the truth and asked God to bless her. Hannah knew the Lord understood her heart even if no one did.

Plain and simple, people are not going to understand you as a follower of Jesus. Don't you think if people misunderstood Jesus, they will without a doubt misunderstand you? You'll live your life with others questioning your motives as to why you really consider yourself and strive to be a follower of Jesus. People who don't know the Lord might think it's all self gain or for show. When really, it's just the opposite of that .Guess what? God knows that. The world doesn't understand women who devote their lives to loving God and making Him their first priority. When we live by His guidelines instead of the world's, people will see us as "crazy" or "old fashioned" or "weirdos." Rest assure, God knows us better than we know ourselves. No matter what the world thinks of us, we don't have to worry about Him misunderstanding us. This world is a commercial break compared to eternity. You can handle people misjudging the reasons why you do things.

"When you are reviled and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers-wonderful! Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a tremendous reward awaits you up in heaven." Matthew 5:11-12

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