Three Ways to be Just Like Hannah when You Ache
I was cleaning out my office recently and came across a printed copy of a Mother’s Day sermon I had preached fifteen plus years ago. It was on the story of Hannah and her desperate prayer for a son.
A Close Up of Hannah
When you look closely at the story you see Hannah’s issue wasn’t just being childless. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, had a second wife, Peninnah, and the Bible says she taunted and provoked Hannah severely. She didn’t let Hannah forget that a woman without a child in their culture was worthless. Along with not having a child to love and nurture, Hannah also dealt with the issue of feeling less-than.
Hannah was hurting on the inside while trying to keep it all together on the outside. Life wasn’t going as she had planned, and God didn’t seem be moving in the direction she hoped. Hannah wasn’t just hurting, Hannah was aching. Hannah ached for assurance, ached for peace, ached for contentment, ached to have value, and ached for joy as she journeyed through life.
Why We Ache
I’m sure we’ve all been there. We ache at various times for different reasons. The ache can come because someone we love is seriously ill, or a relationship is not providing all we thought it would bring. We ache because we miss someone who has died, or because we are tired of waiting for an answer to a prayer we’ve prayed about for years. Aching comes when we deal with betrayal, when we fail, when we feel alone or when we lose hope for a particular outcome.
The aching is hard. It is more than an emotional dilemma; aching is when we hurt so deeply, we feel it in our physical bodies. It’s like a pain in our gut we can’t alleviate. It leads us to cry even when there are no tears left as we anguish over the circumstance we are facing.
Lessons from Hannah
Hannah models three behaviors for us about dealing with life when we ache.
See God for Who He Is
Hannah first models viewing God appropriately. In First Samuel 1:11 we read, “And she [Hannah] made a vow saying, ‘O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me…” The literal translation of Lord Almighty in this verse is “the Lord of Hosts,” referring to God as the one in charge of Heaven’s army. The Tyndale Old Testament Commentary says, “The name expresses the infinite resources and power which are at the disposal of God as he works on behalf of his people.”
Hannah had heard the stories of God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people over and over. She had heard about Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. She knew the story of Joseph, his brothers, and the famine. Hannah had participated in celebrating Passover, so she knew of Moses, the plagues, how God parted the Red Sea, sent manna from heaven, and poured water from a rock. She knew what God was capable of and she knew He was the God over everything, the One who was completely in control.
When we ache, we need to see God for who He is, the Lord of Hosts. We must anchor our attitudes and actions in the truth that He has infinite resources and power, and He is always working for our good.
Be Authentic
The second behavior Hannah models is authenticity. In First Samuel chapter one, Hannah, Elkanah, and Peninnah travel to Shiloh, as they did every year, to worship and offer sacrifices to God. First Samuel 1:9 tells us, “Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray…”
Hannah stepping aside to spend time in prayer doesn’t seem to be an unusual event. But Hannah was experiencing deep anguish, so as she prayed silently, her lips were still moving. I imagine her face and body language expressed multiple emotions as she poured out her soul to God. Unfortunately, Eli, the priest, observed her and jumped to the conclusion she was drunk.
Transparent Authenticity
I’m sure I wouldn’t have managed myself as well as Hannah did. Hannah responds with “Oh no, sir! … I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” (1 Samuel 1:15-16)
In her book, Being a Wild Wonderful Woman for God, author Becky Tirabassi says, “There is no safer place or person in whom one can confide than in the loving, living being known as God. But we must be honest with him. In moments of honest reflection, we accept correction and receive motivation for change. This gains us access to God. When we become transparent with God, we actually feel his presence.”
Honor God by Giving Him Top Priority
The third behavior Hannah models is giving God the honor He is due. Hannah knew the truth that though God moves on behalf of those who love Him, He is sovereign and worthy of all glory and worship. Hannah requested one child, specifically a son. And then, in the same breath that she asks for her deepest heart’s desire, she gives the child she has yet to receive back to God. “He will be yours for his entire lifetime.” (1 Samuel 1:11 NLT)
Think about it, Hannah asks God to display His power and pour out His favor on her. She begs God to give her a son and ease the pain, disapproval, and isolation she has lived with for so long. Then, she promises to give back to Him all He blesses her with, so that He would receive more glory, honor, and praise. Hannah realized life is about giving glory to God, it’s not about her.
Hannah Keeps Her Promise to God
In 1 Samuel 2 we find the prayer Hannah offers when she brings her son to live with the priest Eli and serve God in the temple. She begins by declaring, “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:1-2 NLT)
Hannah doesn’t whine about the struggle of releasing her boy. She doesn’t bargain with God for just a few more years. Hannah keeps her promise because she knows “No one is holy like the Lord!” She knows, everything is to be about God: honoring Him, praising Him, worshiping Him, and giving Him glory for all He does.
Be Like Hannah
What causes you to ache today? Are you hurting in your deepest parts? Seek to know God as the Almighty, the One who is Lord of Hosts with infinite resources and power. Pour out your soul to Him; be honest with God and tell Him of your deepest desire. Then keep your focus, not on the ache or the answer you want God to provide, but on God Himself. He longs to work a miracle in your life and fill you with His praise that reaches beyond your ache.
Woman Praying Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash
