Lean in Close
The story of Hannah in the Bible has always inspired me. If you’re not familiar with the story, a quick read of 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2 will showcase a powerful story of a woman who dealt with extreme pain from infertility. Hannah was one of two wives to a man named Elkanah, and in an era where a woman’s sole purpose was to produce heirs for her husband, Hannah found herself completely unable to have children.
Have you ever found yourself like Hannah? Maybe you’ve been begging God for months or years to move in your situation, yet you find yourself frustrated and feeling pushed aside. Maybe you’re wondering where God is, and if He even still sees you. Maybe you’re questioning if you did something wrong, or if He really is a “Good God” after all? If we’re honest with one another, sometimes it’s really hard to see Him as a ‘good God’ when our circumstances feel anything but good.
So what do we do when we find ourself in an impossible situation? When we feel barren, cast aside, and heartbroken? What do we do when our hearts ache for change, or we find ourselves waiting for something that just isn’t coming?
We do exactly what Hannah did….we keep leaning in to God.
I love 1 Samuel verses 12-13a; “As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard….” Verse 15 tells us that Hannah looks up and realizes Eli the priest is watching her through all of this and (rightfully so) he was super confused so she responds to him; “I am a woman who is deeply troubled…I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.”
Did you catch that? Hannah didn’t just throw up a quick prayer and become frustrated when she didn’t see an answer in a week. She didn’t run to her friends or her husband or even run to the priest in the temple with her troubles. Instead, we see her continually returning to the temple and begging the Lord for a change. Verse 15 says she was ‘pouring out her soul to the Lord.’ Hannah didn’t become suspicious if God was really a ‘good God”, and she didn’t question if He was with her. In fact, when you read through chapter 2 you will find that Hannah mentions the Lord’s name 18 different times in her prayer. EIGHTEEN! What you find through Hannah’s story is that her belief that God is able never once waivers. She might wish that things were different, or hope His timeline would be faster, but her dependence on the Lord was never contingent on whether or not He answered her prayers the way she wanted Him to. Through Hannah’s story we learn that her hope was completely based on who she knew God to be, and she wanted God more than she wanted the answer to her prayers.
Friend, is there something you are asking God for, or a change you’ve been begging Him to bring? Maybe you’re like Hannah and you’ve been begging for a baby, or perhaps there’s some other kind of ‘barrenness’ or emptiness you feel in your life. Whatever it is, can I encourage you to keep leaning into Jesus? Pour out your heart to Him. Cry to Him. Rest in who He is.
One of the most extraordinary things about Hannah’s story is that she eventually does have a baby, and that baby grew up to play an integral part in the kingdom of Israel. The timing of His birth was perfectly lined up with the timing of the men he would one day anoint as king. Many of them would lean into Samuel for wisdom, and had he not been born at the exact time he was, their lives might not have aligned at the proper time.
I’ve heard it said before that God loves me too much to answer my prayers at any time but the right time. Maybe we all need to stop to remember that His timing is best while we lean into His great love for us. Let’s all choose to stop and take a minute to lean into Him today.