Hannah

Lately, I have been in a Bible reading slump.  I hate to admit that, but there it is, on the internet, for anyone to see.  It’s not that I don’t love to dive into the Word of God and try to extract Truth.  But there are times when I go through a desert time with the Word.  Just being honest.  Are you going to stone me?  Let thee who is without sin…you know the rest.

 A while back someone posed the question of who in the Bible is a hero of mine.  I have another answer to that question.

Anyway.  For the past two mornings, I’ve read my Bible.  But only a few verses.  From 1 Samuel 2.  Hannah’s prayer. 

As a woman who is single and who has no children of her own, I’ve always related to Hannah.  Peninnah tortured her.  I have children and you don’t.  I’m wonderful because I’ve procreated and well…yeah…he says you have his love, but *cackles* I have his children. 

I adore Elkanah for reassuring Hannah that he loves her.  I love that he gives her a double portion to show his adoration.  One of my favorite verses (aside from Hannah’s prayer) in this section is 1 Samuel 1:8

Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don’t you eat?  Why are you downhearted?  Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?

If I am not mistaken, sons are important in this time.  Sons carry on the family name.  Sons inherit the property of their father.  So, Elkanah is telling Hannah that, though she has not had a child, she means more to him than anything in the world.  But I digress.  Back to Hannah and her prayer.

Eli assumes that Hannah is drunk when she is praying her heart out in the temple.  Jerk.  Again, I digress.  You know the story.  Hannah tells Eli that she is praying, Eli blesses her prayer, she has Samuel.

Hannah is a woman of integrity.   She follows through with her promise to God to give her son to service.  Not only does she follow through with her promise, she rejoices in the ability to follow through with the promise. 

My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.  There is no one holy like the Lord, there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Let those words resound to the deepest place in your soul tonight, today.  No matter what you are experiencing right now, how bright or bleak the circumstances appear, “there is no Rock like our God.”  None.