I have been reading 1 Samuel lately, and I am in awe of the strength and faithfulness of Hannah, Samuel’s mother. For those who are not familiar with the story, Hannah was one of two wives of a man named Elkanah. The other was Peninnah. Penninah had bore Elkanah many children, while Hannah was barren. Hannah was the wife that Elkanah truly loved however, and so Peninnah, being jealous, never missed out on a chance to rub it in Hannah’s face that she had children and Hannah did not.
Hannah could have easily chosen to act in anger toward Peninnah. Instead, she ignored her and turned her attentions toward God. She prayed that God would give her a son, and she made this vow:
“O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he’ll be yours for his entire lifetime, and his hair shall never be cut.” (1 Samuel 1: 11)
And the Lord blessed Hannah with a baby boy, whom she named Samuel. But here is the truly amazing part: Hannah didn’t forget her promise to God. As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah and Elkanah took him to the Tabernacle and left him there with Eli, the priest, so that he could grow up a servant of God. Samuel then grows up to be a great religious leader and prophet.
What amazes me about this story is Hannah’s strength. Many of us have made promises to God and failed to follow through. Hannah could have easily done the same, but she did not. I cannot imagine how painful it must have been for her to give up her small child and hand him over to the church. I imagine that in those times, children were weaned much later, so I’m guessing he was probably about 3 or 4 when she took him to the church. It must have also been devastating for the boy. What a sacrifice! Yet Hannah remained strong. She knew she had made a promise to God and would not go back on it. God rewarded Hannah greatly for her faithfulness. After giving up Samuel, God then blessed Hannah with 3 more sons and 2 daughters.
This story is a great example of how if we trust God and are faithful to Him, He will not forget us or let us down. I think about the promises I have made to God. I made promises when I was confirmed in the church, and also when I was married. So often it is easy to forget about our promises or make excuses as to why we cannot keep them. If we trust God however, we should know that He will reward our faithfulness with blessings. He will ease our pain when we are hurting, and he will never, ever forget us.
Let us pray.
God, thank you so much for your constant care and attention. We know that every good thing in our lives comes from You. We ask You to help us be faithful to You, Lord. Help us keep whatever promises we make to You, and allow us to trust that You will never forsake us. Father, we love You. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.
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