Peninnah would ridicule and torment Hannah year after year, but Hannah never fought back (1 Samuel 1). Despite her challenges, Hannah did not stop going to the tabernacle in anticipation of God answering her prayers. Pastor Dan urged us to take refuge in God as Hannah did. She let the Lord fight her battle. Isaiah 40:31 seems to have been her portion, “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Hannah knew that we are tallest and strongest while on our knees. Through her active prayer life, she cultivated a heart of appreciation, a heart for God. Pastor Dan said, “When you learn to appreciate God, two things happen: (i) you are humbled to see His goodness in all aspects of your life, and (ii) the realization of God’s love moves you to anchor your hope in Jesus Christ.” Hannah saw God’s goodness in her answered prayer for a child. She was full of appreciation and praise for Him. Do you look for God’s goodness in your life and acknowledge that it is His doing? It pleases God when we appreciate His goodness in our lives.
A friend of mine has a testimony like Hannah’s; she was childless for many years. Though she kept praying, the situation had taken a toll on her. I suggested that she adopts, not because I doubted that God would come through, but so that she would direct her focus and love on an abandoned child (she adopted from a children’s home) as she waited on God. Was I surprised that a year later she was expecting? No. God had come through for her as He did for Hannah. He can do it for you too in whatever situation you are in.
Application:
Cultivate a daily prayer habit of appreciating God’s goodness in your life as well as the people in your life.
Prayer:
Lord, I put my hope in You. Open my eyes so that I may see your goodness in my life. Amen
