“I faced a time of great suffering and uncertainty after experiencing a car wreck that resulted in many injuries. My body was beat up, I had a brain injury, and I was emotionally and psychologically a mess. I felt isolated and alone, as well. I needed God desperately.
Well-meaning friends couldn’t find words of comfort and didn’t know how to respond to the life-altering situation I faced. I knew the road to recovery would be long—a path I would travel for the most part alone.
As I tried to accept the uncertainty of my future and what I thought was the end of all my dreams, I came to the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. I immediately resonated with her circumstance. She also faced a crisis. She had suffered infertility for a long time and was desperate for God to give her a child. There is also a sense that Hannah was alone, as we find her in the temple, by herself, praying. And when the priest approaches her, he accuses Hannah of being drunk; he completely misreads Hannah’s posture of crying out to God in earnest.
The scene of Hannah feeling that her situation was impossible and then being misunderstood was exactly how I felt! So, how did Hannah respond?
Hannah is a model of great faithfulness to God. She presented her pain to God in an honest, emotional-filled prayer. And then, when Hannah is done praying and pouring out her heart, the Bible says something remarkable: Hannah “went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:18).
To me, this showed that Hannah was able to trust God in the midst of her pain, and she had faith God could work a miracle in her life. And then, despite the sorrow of her situation, Hannah could hold her head up high and move forward.
I believe we too can trust God with every challenge before us. Like Hannah, we can pour out our heart to God and tell the Lord how desperate we are and ask God to intervene and work a miracle for us. Then we can move forward in faith and let God carry our burdens.
If you know the story, you’ll know God did provide a child for Hannah. That child, Samuel, became a great leader in Israel. And do you know what is so incredible? Samuel followed his mom’s example and became a mighty person of prayer and trust in God. What a powerful legacy Hannah passed on to her child!
Whatever you’re facing today, know you can pour out your heart before God. You can ask God for a miracle. You can trust God will answer your prayer. And you can move forward in faith and trust, knowing God will make a way, especially when the situation seems beyond our control.
The example of faithfulness you’re setting as a mom is being passed on to the next generation and bearing fruit beyond what you can see today.
Stay strong, mamas!
