Being Grateful For God’s Faithfulness
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:1-2
Hannah had a painful life experience, like so many people today. Not only was she infertile, but she also lived a life faced with a constant rival, Peninnah, the second wife of her husband Elkanah, who was blessed with children. Because of this, Peninnah made fun of Hannah, constantly tormenting her for being infertile, likely because Elkanah loved Hannah more ( 1 Samuel 1:4-5 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.). This made Hannah cry out to the Lord every time that she had no appetite.
Many people experience pain and suffering in different ways than Hannah. You may have been crying out to God for years regarding a matter that is dear to your heart, just like Hannah, but trust that God is faithful and knows better than us. You can always trust Him with whatever is happening in your life at the moment. Perhaps God is simply waiting for you to surrender that which you are crying out unto Him for, and have a man or woman of God intercede for you, just like what happened to Hannah.
Hannah did not remain infertile for long. In fact, after praying at the Temple, Eli the priest thought she was drunk, but she wasn’t. In the bitterness of her soul, she was praying and made a vow before God that when He heard her prayer for a child, she would offer the child back to the LORD (1 Samuel 1:11). When Eli heard her story, he told her, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him” (1 Samuel 1:17”). Soon, Hannah gave birth to a son named Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”) and, of course, she did not forget her promise to God. She gave Samuel to the Lord and offered Him thanks and praises:
“…My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:1-2).
Despite the fact that what Hannah had been praying for would also be offered unto the LORD, she did not forget to be grateful that God had answered her prayer. Even though she knew that she had to give up and sacrifice her only son to the LORD, she remained faithful to her word and did not forget to be thankful for what the LORD had done.
Hannah’s life shows faithfulness and gratitude to the LORD, even though He had already answered her prayers. Sometimes, we tend to forget about God once He has given us what we’ve been asking for.
That is why, in your moments of painful life experience, your deepest gratitude unto God can be born. The memories of your pain will remind you that God is faithful, for He heard you and ended your pain at the moment of your answered prayer, just as He did for Hannah.
Even though she had to let go of that which she was praying for, she gave what God deserved by offering Him praise and thanksgiving. God did not let her down, for Samuel grew up in fear of the LORD and became one of the mighty prophets.
Like Hannah, never give up on what you are hoping for and remain faithful and grateful unto the LORD, who is faithful in all things.
