During our hardships, we tend to think that our prayers go in vain and that God isn’t concerned about our agonies. One would start to question God whether He is not seeing the miseries or the tears one sheds at His feet. But from the Bible, we see a God who remembers us at all times. He is not a God who abandons us midway rather He who called us is faithful and will lead us in everything.
In 1 Samuel 1, we see Hannah married to Elkanah. All wasn’t going well in their life as verse 5 mentions an issue that they had been dealing with; “ the LORD had closed her womb”. This narrative is not uncommon in this present era when many are suffering from infertility and miscarriages. Studies show that about 50 million couples experience infertility. The feeling of guilt and sense of failure it brings along with it is indescribable. The situation and the experience might have been even more dreadful in Hannah’s times. To add to her misery, she had a rival Peninnah who kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
1 Samuel 1:7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
Hannah, which means ‘favored’, had all the reasons to be downcast. Her husband couldn’t truly understand her, her family provoked her instead of supporting her, the High Priest too mocked her unknowingly. Instead of being stagnant in that state of despair and hopelessness, Hannah wept and prayed before God Almighty as seen in 1 Samuel 1: 10,11
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.”
I firmly believe that her prayer which was out of great anguish and grief created a miracle. 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
She surrendered everything into God’s hands and went in peace. This act moved God and caused God to remember Hannah. And God opened her womb to give birth to one of the most honored prophets of the LORD, Samuel. Hannah kept her vow and dedicated the child to God.
27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
Hannah’s thanksgiving prayer mentioned in 1 Samuel 2, teaches us to thank and praise God. We often express our gratitude to men, but how often do we thank God? We often approach the feet of Jesus with our wishlist and requests, but do we kneel before Him with a heart of gratitude? Psalm 147 reminds us that we thank God by singing praises to Him and by worshiping Him.
Let’s look into why one must thank God:
Thank God for Who He is
1 Sam 2: 2: There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Often we underestimate the power of our God. He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. By His own understanding He made the heavens and the earth. Let these verses remind us about whom we serve:
Psalm 147: 4,5 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
It is this powerful God, who heals our brokenness and binds up our inner wounds which no man can heal; which no man can perceive. Hannah didn’t have to share her concerns with God for Him to understand her miseries. But she opened up her soul before God because she trusted that only God could heal her brokenness and change her circumstances. She also had faith that God had heard her prayer and the answer was on her way. Hence we must praise Him in the storm and out of it.
Psalm 34: 18, 19 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
2. Thank God for what He has done
For His love shown on the cross of Calvary that He died for our sins to redeem us all.
For His care and concern toward those who trust in Him:
Psalm 147: 9, 10, 11
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
For His protection and deliverance: He is a shield to those who trust in Him. In Psalm 136 we see God being with Israel and delivering them ‘out’ from among Egyptians, being with them in the ‘midst’ of the Red Sea and leading His people ‘through’ wilderness. This affirms that our God can deliver us when we go through fiery times, when we are in the midst of the storm and will bring us out victoriously. All in all, He is a God who is there by our side in all the seasons of our life.
For the freedom that we experience in Christ Jesus: He has freed us from all our sinful bondages and we can firmly approach the throne of God in prayer.
For all the good things: Take a moment to count a few of your many blessings. The Bible teaches us in James 1: 17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
Finally we must express gratitude to God for remembering us in our low esteems. For those who stumble and fall, he arms them with strength and honor. He is the God who can and who will exalt us in due time. Therefore, let all who have breath praise and glorify this mighty God!