Once there was a woman named Hannah, who was barren. Although her husband, Elkanah, loved her more than his other wife, she couldn’t get pass the fact she was barren. Elkanah didn’t understand. He thought he should be enough for her, but he wasn’t. He didn’t understand that when you can’t do what you were created to do, life is miserable. Then to make matters worse, her rival, the other wife, taunted her constantly.
Hannah finally got tired of being tired. She lay before YHWH and prayed in her heart. Her mouth moved but no sound left it. She cried out to the only one who could change her incurable situation. She even made a vow to Him if He would answer her. He heard her and He answered her.
She gave birth to a son and kept him with her until she had finished nursing him. Then she kept her vow and brought him to live in the temple of YHWH forever. She didn’t skip out on Yah. She honored her word. She didn’t try to do a “take-back” or change the terms of the agreement. Nor did she stop doing what she’d been doing before she became pregnant. After weaning Samuel and dropping him off, she continued to give Yah offerings every year like she normally did. No matter how hard it must have been for her, she still fulfilled her vow to Yah. She didn’t let life get in the way. And because of this Yah blessed her with three more sons and two daughters. He gave her abundance. She went from being barren to overflowing.
Let’s be like Hannah, a woman of her word. She didn’t forget about Yah and neither should we. Let’s repay our vows and praise Yah like Hannah did.
Honor Yahweh
My heart exults in you, Yahweh! My dignity has been restored by you, Yahweh! I can gloat over my enemies because of my joy at your saving me.
No one is as holy as you, Yahweh, because there is none to compare with you, no rock like our God.
Stop your proud boasting! Don’t let arrogance come from your mouth! For Yahweh is a God of knowledge, and he appraises actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken, while the feeble are armed with strength.
The well-fed hire themselves for bread, while those who were hungry hunger no more. The barren woman has borne seven, while the mother of many wastes away.
Yahweh, you kill and make alive; you bring down to the grave, and you bring up.
Yahweh, you make poor, and you make rich; you humble and you exalt.
Yahweh, you raise the poor from the dust, lift up the needy from the trash pile. You give them a place with leaders and assign them seats of honor. For the earth’s pillars belong to you, Yahweh; on them you placed the world.
You, Yahweh, guard the steps of his faithful, but the wicked is silenced in darkness. For it is not by strength that a person prevails – those who fight you, Yahweh, are shattered; you thunder against them in heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth. He will strengthen his king and enhance the power of his anointed.
Scripture Reference
1 Samuel 1-2:10