Hannah’s Perseverance

The pain runs deep. I’m sure we’ve all had that feeling. Something that troubles our spirit. A feeling that eats away at us. My affliction is anxiety. For a long time, I didn’t tell anyone about the feelings rumbling inside like a volcano’s warning of an eruption. I ignored the symptoms and let the pressure build. I prayed but did not offer a part of myself to the Lord as Hannah did. At the time, I did not have the strength and courage to trust as she did.

If I had studied Hannah’s story before my anxiety took hold, I’d have learned her narrative tells more than the despair of barrenness. It’s about a woman who trusted the Lord with her deepest desire, to have a son. More than that, she offered to God her future child’s service for a lifetime.

With such trust comes great strength and courage and an intimate relationship with God. In Hannah’s petition to the Lord of hosts, she called herself his servant three times, an acknowledgment of God’s control. She recognized that God alone had the power to grant her intimate request and offered God the deepest longing of her heart because she trusted he’d use her son. She had the strength and courage to relinquish control of her life and allow God to work his plan.

Can we do the same? Can we persevere in prayer and give God complete control? I pray the answer is a resounding “Yes!” because waiting on God’s answer refines and strengthens our faith, and because pursuing God’s plan leads to God’s best for us. He wants us near to him so he may whisper wisdom in our ears and lead us on his path.

Clearly, ours is not a god who uses our trials to defeat us. In fact, God uses our afflictions to draw us closer to him and to further his mission of salvation of all humankind. He hears our prayers and accepts our sacrifices, teaching us our part in his plan and providing us the wisdom to walk his path with Hannah’s strength and courage.

God, give me Hannah’s prayerful perseverance. Whisper your wisdom into my ear so I can walk your path and face my afflictions with strength and courage.

Throughout This Day: Read 1 Samuel 1:24-28. Write a testimony of what God has accomplished on your behalf.