Do you ever find yourself admiring another person and the strength that they exhibit and you can’t help but think to yourself, “Geesh, I sure wish I was as strong as them because there is no way I could handle half of what they do!”
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him….” 2 Chronicles 16.9 NIV
Join me as we spend a moment in 1 Samuel and revisit the story of Hannah. I think that Hannah is the perfect example for both the sentiment above and if you were to dive deep enough into her heart, I’m sure there is not only plenty of lessons for us all but I’m certain that you’d discover the type of heart that 2 Chronicles 16.9 was written about.
“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 1 Samuel 1.10-11
How many times have we found ourselves praying in desperate times, and those prayers have most likely sounded something similar to what Hannah prayed? I know for me personally I don’t believe I could recount or recall them all, but of the times that I’ve made the vows to God, now those, I can recount down to the last detail. Those are the moments that you feel as if your soul will break if you are not granted what it is you desire. You cry out in desperation, pleading and praying and willing to give it all just to find the answers that you need. I think we all have been there at some point in our lives, and if you haven’t, I pray that you never find yourself there.
Hannah continues to pray earnestly, all the while Eli was watching her believing she was nothing more than drunk. Could you imagine the implication and having to justify that you are just deeply troubled and that you were doing nothing more than pouring your heart and soul out to the Lord, and that you had been praying out of your great anguish and grief? (1 Samuel 1.12-16)
And just like that Eli tells her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1.17) And that is all it took for Hannah to completely change her outlook, as it says in 1.18 that she went on her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I read that I kinda sat back and asked myself if I was so sure of my faith because I don’t know if mine would suffice with someone accusing me of being a drunk one minute, then telling me I’ll have what my heart desires the next. But alas, Hannah’s faith was so strong that she believed… and it was her strong faith that led to her being blessed with her son, Samuel.
But see, that’s not even where Hannah’s faith and strength is shown in its fullest glory. If you know how the story goes, then you know that Hannah fulfills her vow to God and takes Samuel to Eli once Samuel is weaned so that he can serve the Lord for his lifetime. As a mother this 100% pulled at my heart strings and I mourned for Hannah for that moment in her life. I can only imagine the multitude of emotions she was going through, shew. But, she remained faithful to the vow she had made and delivered her son just as she had promised.
If you have never read Hannah’s Prayer (1 Samuel 2.1-10) of which she had recited as she dedicated Samuel unto the Lord, I highly recommend that you do. Even in that moment with all of that emotion, what I am sure had to be inner turmoil or conflict, she was able to recite such a powerful praise unto the Lord. And it was filled with such wisdom, too! I’m not sure if I’m half the woman she is to be able to hand something I had desperately longed for for so long over, while still praising and rejoicing in the Lord the way that she did.
It sure does make you check yourself and rethink your heart, your devotion and your strength. And that is where I was yesterday; I was lost in comparing myself to Hannah, and found myself sullen over thinking there was no way I’d ever measure up to the woman of faith that she was. I started telling my daughters the story about her and my youngest suddenly blurts out, “Hannah is like you Mommy!”
Sometimes, it’s those little statements from our kiddos that can make us stop and take a different look at something that may be bugging us. I asked her how in the world she thought Hannah and I were anything alike and she said that we both had a strong faith in God and we both have had to put things in His hands and hope for the best. And we both ended up coming out the winner on the other side because we were able to show that God was real and that He loves us and is always with us.
Speechless.
So let’s return to 2 Chronicles 16.9, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him….” I believe He strengthened Hannah to be able to do what it was she did because her heart was fully committed to Him. He gave her the strength to carry out what she had vowed unto Him. And looking back, I know it was Him who gave me the strength to carry on when I otherwise had none. It was also Him who gave me the strength to do all of the hard things I’d have never been able to do without Him by my side.
Just as God goes on to tell Samuel in 1 Samuel 16.7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” We need to remember that even though we may not recognize our own strengths, God does. He always sees what is in our hearts better than we do.
“I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.” Philippians 4.13 GNBUK
This ladies and gentlemen, this is your gentle reminder to thank the Lord and count your blessings, even the ones that we don’t always “see”. Current goals in my life: be more like Hannah (both the biblical Hannah and our real life Hannah as she is a pretty good role model in the Kingdom, too!)
Billie is a 40-something stay-at-home momma of five beautiful children and Grammy to three grandchildren. When not wrangling the littles, she babysits for her two adult children. You will find her gardening, canning, baking, and making the most delicious meals for her family. Billie is a multitasker juggling a team of miniature tyrants, a cat, a snake, two dogs, two rats, and nine chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and studying her bible. Her passion is sharing the gospel through her writing! So, whether she’s feeding your body with delicious meals or feeding your soul through her writing, join Billie as she takes you on a journey providing you with “Food for Thought.”
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