"Dealing with Disappointments"
And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children. (1 Samuel 1:5 NLT)
Hannah is barren. This is not uncommon in the OT narrative. In fact, it seems common. Hannah is heartbroken. She wants to have children. They are an evidence of blessing, fruitfulness, & prosperity. In their culture, part of being a good wife is having kids. She can't have these joys. Not only this, her husband's other wife taunts her about it consistently. Talk about adding insult to injury.
It's often times hard to notice God's plan in the midst of disappointments. It's especially hard when we see people around us enjoying what we most desire. What we don't know from this passage is that Hannah will have a son & he will have a book of the Bible named after him. Does what's her name have that!? I didn't think so! He will be used greatly by God to lead his people in spiritual renewal.
In the midst of difficulty it's impossible to know what God's doing. Stories like Hannah's give us hope that God really does have our best interest in mind. It gives us hope that he really does know where we are & what we are going through. He really does care. His timing may just be a little different.
Take Jabez for example. Here's a guy who name means "pain." Imagine the mommy issues he had! And yet, he is the poster child for the blessings of God. And he was really blessed & God answered his prayer. But the first part of his life was miserable.
God's heart, plan, & timing are always best for us. We may not know what he is doing but that doesn't mean that he isn't working. God cares about our disappointments & he knows what we are going through. It's our responsibility to trust him!
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