1Samuel 1:10(NLT) tells us, “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD.” This woman knew a thing or two about emotional pain. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, was good to her, but she was not his only wife. The other wife, Peninnah, had children, but Hannah did not. During this time in Biblical history, it was a very big deal for a woman to give birth to a son. Her worthiness was tied to this, so Hannah was dealing with the pressure of not living up to the standard. Peninnah would ridicule and make fun of Hannah because she had not given Elkanah a son. Having a child was the greatest desire of Hannah’s life, and you and I can imagine that she prayed to God about her barrenness many times. It must have been on her mind constantly, and to make matters worse, Peninnah made it her mission to continuously throw this in Hannah’s face. 1Samuel 1:8 tells us that Hannah’s heart was so broken she didn’t even have an appetite, and she cried each time she was ridiculed by Peninnah.
We can so relate to Hannah, right?! It’s that gut-wrenching, snot-slanging, ugly-face, on your knees cry that we all know so well. Sometimes, you’ve got to let it out. You’ve got to be real about the pain of wanting something so bad, but it eludes you no matter what you do. It seems so unfair, and we’ve got to know that this is how Hannah felt. To have to look at the cruel Ms. Pen everyday and take her non-sense; that’s a lot. Hubby tried consoling Hannah, telling her not to be so sad because she didn’t have children. He said, “You’ve got me, and isn’t that better than having ten sons?” I’m sure Hannah thought this was a very sweet thing for him to say, but she had a desire burning in her heart, and when a heart’s desire continues to burn, nothing will satisfy us except the birth of the thing we yearn.
There’s a very consequential thing that we must remember about Hannah and her plight. She ultimately gave birth to Samuel, one of God’s faithful prophets of the Old Testament. And here’s the thing, the Father always knew that she would give birth. Even when she was in deep emotional pain, bitterly crying out to Him, Heavenly Father always knew she would be Samuel’s mother. This is the same for us. The thing that we’ve longed for in our hearts, it’s already ours, but we must take note of Hannah’s testimony, because there’s something about the process that cannot be skipped.
Proverbs 19:21(NLT) tells us, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” God’s purpose comes first. Our desires do not come before His purposes, and this is sometimes a challenging thing for us to accept. Yes, Heavenly Father wants to give us the desire of our hearts, but when the blessings are delayed, there’s a reason. We can be absolutely certain that it has everything to do with His purpose.
Many of us are not thinking about how our heart’s desire will impact the Kingdom. We just want what we want. We have it in our minds that God should give us what we desire, and that He shouldn’t make us wait for it. This isn’t how His Will works. Yes, Heavenly Father wants us to be blessed, happy, and fulfilled, but these are qualities that are wrapped within our commitment to seek Him first and walk in His Will. Sometimes our desire for the husband, the job, the house, the car, the fame, the family or any other desire may drive us to the point of desperation. We want these things so badly that we can’t see anything else clearly.
Desperation in the sense of wanting something so bad that it’s all we can think about is a hindrance and not a help. The only thing in life that deserves that kind of energy is our love for God and our commitment to our relationship with Him. We’re sons and daughters of the Most High God. We don’t have to be desperate for anything, because our Father owns everything!
Just as He placed the desire for a son in Hannah’s heart, God is the One who gives us the desires of our hearts as well. They are a part of His plan for the entire universe. And like Hannah, there will come a point in our prayers where we must release everything to His care and tell Him, “If you bless me with my heart’s desire, I’ll turn it around and bless Your Kingdom with it!” When Hannah did this, she stepped into the true arena of faith, where God’s Will becomes the focus. In 1Samuel 1:11(NLT), she made this vow, “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut.”
Our Heavenly Father is in the business of doing the exceedingly abundantly, but this doesn’t mean that we don’t have a part to play. Like a mother in labor, what are we doing to back our faith with something that pushes forward the thing we will birth? What are we doing to push God’s agenda forward in our lives? We have a calling to fulfill, a purpose that we must embrace and carry through. It’s important, so very important, that we pray for wisdom and vision. If we will ask Him, God will give us a revelation. Then, when the labor is over, we will receive the blessing and employ it for God’s glory. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“It’s Already Yours!”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.