Things We Can Learn from Hannah.

In my small group last night, we looked at the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 and 2. I think there are a lot of cool things that can be learned from her story that are relevant to the lives of many, including myself.

1.) Hannah didn't wait until her heart was pure and she had it all together to go before the Lord. She went before Him downhearted, in misery, weeping, full of grief and anguish, bitter, and broken. I frequently don't go before the Lord when I am feeling those emotions, but Hannah showed up year after year to the house of the Lord in spite of those feelings.

2.) "I was pouring out my soul to the LORD." (Verse 15) I wish I could say I did this more frequently. Yes, God knows our thoughts and our hearts, but that doesn't mean He doesn't want to hear it from us. Pour out your soul to God, not to a close friend or parent or maybe even talking aloud to yourself. Rather, we must cry out to the Lord our Savior!

3.) The specificity of Hannah's prayers. I don't have much to say here other than trust the Lord. Ask Him boldly and specifically in your prayers.

4.) Here's my favorite part. Hannah trusted the Lord's faithfulness and fulfilled her promise to give her son Samuel (the one she had prayed for) to the Lord. I cannot imagine how difficult that would be. You finally get the child you've been waiting your whole life for, but you give it up. How often do we get blessings in our lives that we don't give back to the Lord? But wait, it gets better. It says in Chapter 2 that the "LORD was gracious to Hannah" and she gave birth to 3 sons and 2 daughters. God didn't just give her one more son to make up for giving Samuel to the Lord; He gave her FIVE children. And even cooler, her son Samuel, you've probably heard of him. Samuel became a priest, the one who set David apart to be king...and JESUS, the Son of God came from the line of David. Hannah's faithfulness wasn't just a blessing to her family, but to an entire nation.

I really love this story. I encourage you to read it yourself. Your story may not be that you are waiting to have children, but we all want something in our lives. Let us trust our God who is sovereign over us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPkMbhydU9I