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.” (V.10-11)
This
reminds us of the story of Sarah and the birth of Issac. God had promised
Abraham that he would be the 'father of many nations' but late in life he and
Sarah had no children and she was past the age of childbearing. How could God's
promise be fulfilled? One day three strangers visited their tent. One of them
was the Lord Himself, who made Abraham an extraordinary promise: 'I will surely
return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son’
(Gen.18:10). When she heard this, Sarah, who was eavesdropping, laughed to
herself and thought, 'After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have
this pleasure?' (v.12).
The Lord
spoke truly, of course, and just as He had said, Sarah gave birth to Isaac who
rejoiced saying, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about
this will laugh with me' (21:6). Like Sarah, Hannah would experience the joy of
seeing God accomplish the 'impossible' and discover that nothing is too hard
for the Lord (Gen.18:14). However, it would not happen until her request was in
line with His will.
Hannah,
having worked through years of barrenness and having thought deeply about the
problems, finally realized for the first time that children are not just for
parents. They are given to parents, loaned for a while, but the reason they are
given is for the Lord to use. This child who was ultimately born (Samuel) was
to be God's man to meet the needs of a nation. Undoubtedly God had taught
Hannah deeply through hours of struggle over her barrenness, so in great
distress she prays that God would have what He wanted, a man for his glory and
his purposes, and that He would let her be the instrument of that blessing.
Immediately
we read of a remarkable change in Hannah's heart, for the account says, Eli
answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked
of him (v.17). Immediately, God's peace had begun to guard her heart and
spirit. Now, the birth of the baby did not occur until months later, but when
the baby was born she named him Samuel, which means, Asked of God. God had
granted her request, but there was peace in Hannah's heart right from that very
moment of her prayer.
This
chapter reminds us that, God wisely denies petitions motivated by
self-interest. And, rather than blaming God for what is not being granted to us,
we should ask him to re-focus our hearts toward his will.
The Truth
Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
