“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
— Hebrews 4:16
The book of 1 Samuel tells the story of Hannah and her husband Elkanah. Elkanah, like many other men of his time, had another wife. This other wife, Peninnah, had given birth to many children, but Hannah had no kids of her own. Back then, people placed a lot of importance on having children, and Peninnah loved to rub this in Hannah’s face.
Every year Hannah and her family traveled to worship in the temple in Shiloh. On those trips, it was especially hard for Hannah to avoid Peninnah’s insults. Peninnah’s meanness hurt Hannah so much she’d cry and not eat. One year, standing in the temple, Hannah cried out silently in her heart: “O Lord Almighty, if you’ll see your servant’s misery and give me a son, I’ll give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.”
Eli the priest noticed her praying and weeping. He saw that her lips moved, but she didn’t speak. Eli said to her, “How long will you keep on getting drunk?”
“I’m not drunk,” Hannah said. “I’m sad. I have been pouring out my soul to the Lord.”
“May the God of Israel give you what you have asked of him,” Eli said. After this, Hannah’s face was no longer downcast.
The next morning, Hannah and Elkanah and the rest of his family traveled back home. Soon, Hannah became pregnant and had a son she named Samuel, which means “asked of God” in Hebrew. And just as Hannah promised, when her son was about three years old, she took Samuel back to the temple at Shiloh where he grew in stature and in favor with God.
Often, God works in different ways from what we expect. Hannah knew that. Like Hannah, you can take your sadness to God and cry out to him. You can trust him to answer your cry, even if it’s not the answer you expect. He knows what’s best for you.
More to Explore: Hebrews 5:7
Girl Talk: Have you ever prayed to God with your tears?
God Talk: “Lord God, you have proven yourself faithful and trustworthy. Please give me the grace to trust you. Help me to pray out of a deep love for you. Amen.”
From Real Girls of the Bible by Mona Hodgson