A snap judgement is defined as a hasty decision or opinion and I’m sure that we all have made them at one time or another. Sometimes those decisions are spot on and other times they miss the mark. While Hannah was pouring out her heart to God, her lips moved but her voice was not heard. Eli the priest was observing her and made a snap judgement that she was drunk and rebuked her. But Hannah replied, “Not so, my lord! I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.  Do not take your servant for a wicked…

Please God! Help me! I will do anything if You will just help me right now! Have you ever felt or prayed that way before? In our desperation we are willing to do just about anything to get the help we desire but when the moment has past do we follow through with our vows? 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…

One time when Elkanah and his family had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. (1 Samuel 1:9-10) That was the moment when everything changed. She had been sitting down for a long time. For many years she had been down, allowing things to happen the way they came. Allowing things to affect her and people to hurt her.  But then came a day; the day Hannah stood up. We all have that moment deep within us when we cannot just sit any longer…

Hannah’s story tells us that her rival, Peninnah, kept provoking her in order to irritate her and 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. Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you so downcast? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons? Hannah knew that her husband loved her, but even his encouragement could not comfort her. She could not keep from hearing Peninnah’s jeers and letting her hurtful words erode her self confidence. Have you ever experienced…

Pray with expectation. We’ve heard that phrase many times and it is an expression of faith, believing that God will hear and answer our prayers. But what happens when our expectations are unmet and our hopes are derailed? Hannah must have experienced that discouragement many times as she waited for her prayers for a child to be answered. What do you do in moments like that when you feel your faith wavering and you begin to doubt when things start to go badly? That’s when we need to remember what we know about God. Remembering who He is and what He has done will help us to renew our faith…

Believe it or not we can all relate to Hannah’s childless situation. Not only did she fervently pray for an answer to her prayers, but for years the answer seemed to be a “no” from God. Perhaps she even prayed for relief from the constant torment and judgment that Peninnah piled on her with each new child that was born. The apostle Paul also prayed repeatedly for the thorn in his side to be removed. The Lord’s response was that His Grace Was Sufficient. Many have speculated about what his thorn was, but regardless, it was chronic, debilitating and felt life altering enough to bring him to his knees. I…

Part of God’s plan for Hannah involved postponing her years of childbearing. While Peninnah looked at Hannah’s outward circumstances, God was moving ahead with His plan. Year after year, Elkanah, along with Hannah, Peninnah and all her sons and daughters, went up to a town called Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty. Each year Peninnah would provoke Hannah until she wept and would not eat. The bible is not specific on exactly how many years of taunting took place, but given that Peninnah had sons and daughters, there must have been several and it must have felt like an eternity to Hannah. Each of us are tried…

One thing we can be certain of, God understands the longings that we have – so much that He provided us with quite a few examples of women throughout the bible who dealt with their own longings. We should take to heart that He has shown His awareness and His concern by giving us these women and their stories to encourage us and remind us that He sees us. He knows our desires and He will answer our longings in His perfect will and way. Hannah’s story begins with the mention of her husband, Elkanah and his second wife Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. With just one…

For the month of March we will discover some of the many lessons that can be learned from studying the life of Hannah. Overview – Prayerful Perseverance Hannah was a wife to a man named Elkanah who deeply loved her.  Unfortunately she was barren and he took a second wife who was able to give him several children.  This however did not diminish his love for her, but it did create opportunities for Peninnah, the second wife, to torment Hannah because of her situation. Peninnah’s competitiveness and derision caused Hannah deep anguish, which Hannah took to God in prayer.  On one occasion while at the tabernacle she was praying and…