During the Civil War, President Lincoln  was pacing around the White House because the reports from Gettysburg troubled him. He eventually closed the door and knelt down to pray. President Lincoln told a friend “I told God that I had done all I could. The burden fell off my shoulders, my intense anxiety was relieved, and in its place came a great trustfulness.”

⁹ So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. ¹⁰ And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. ¹¹ Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”¹² And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman,for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”¹⁸ And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

There may be times when we pray, and do not believe that God has actually heard us. However, you should know that in those desperate moments, God breaks through our sadness in order to give us peace and tranquility. The same way in which Hannah was able to go away to eat and her face was no longer sad after God spoke to her through Eli, He can do the same for us. Today my prayer is that God helps us to be more careful to take things to Him in prayer, rather than trying to bear the heavy burdens by ourselves. Just as God did in Hannah’s life He will answer.

Let us study Hannah’s situation in more detail. Hannah had a very good reason to feel discouraged. She was unable to have children, she shared her husband with a woman who ridiculed her, her loving husband could not solve her problem and even the High Priest (Eli) misunderstood her motives. However, we can all learn a lesson from how Hannah reacted to these things; instead of retaliating or giving up onhope, Hannah prayed. Whenever we find ourselves in situations when we feel like all odds are stacked against us, bring your problems honestly before God.

Each of us may face times of barrenness in our lives; a season when nothing “comes to birth” in our work, service or relationships. It is difficult to pray in faith when we feel so ineffective. But prayer opens the way for God to work, as Hannah discovered;  1 Samuel 1:19-20 ” ¹⁹ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.“

 Earlier Hannah was so discouraged that she had reached a stage of being physically sick and unable to eat. However by the end of her time in prayer, she is heading home in a happy and better state. What caused the change in her attitude? The 3 possible factors that lead to a change in Hannah’s attitude;

An Antidote for Discouragement: Tell God how you really feel and leave your problems with him. Then rely upon the support of good friends and counselors. Remember “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” . 

 Stay Blessed,

Dara x

P.S- The next blog post is about David and will be entitled Nail Holes, Be sure to check back for that post. If you have any prayer requests, no matter how big or small they are send them through this form (click here for the form) . I am here to support my readers as well, an aspect for the antidote for discouragement. 🙂