Thanksgiving is a time to thank the Lord for all He has done in the past year. But what if you had a hard year? What if you aren’t thankful for the struggles you walked through? Let me tell you, you are not alone! The stresses of this year are ones I don’t care to repeat and are ones I struggle to be thankful for. Being a first-year stay-at-home mom living in someone else’s home has been more of a challenge than I thought it would be. I have never felt more isolated, even though there was a little human with me the whole time! This led to me being angry and stressed from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized a big part of feeling isolated came from the distance I had put between God and me. Trying to keep up with the housework on top of playing with my daughter was stressful enough that taking time to pray or read my Bible didn’t seem like a possibility. It wasn’t until I felt completely overwhelmed and stuck that I got myself to sit with God for half an hour. In that time with Him, I realized God was what I needed more than folding the mound of laundry or making the counter full of dishes disappear.
A woman in the Bible who faced hard times and still praised God was Hannah in 1 Samuel. Hannah was unable to have children, for the Lord had closed her womb (1 Samuel 1:6). Her husband’s other wife had many children and would cast shame on Hannah for being barren. After years of being shamed, Hannah cried out to the Lord and made a vow to Him, saying, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the afflictions of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11). Then scripture says, “Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18). Hannah didn’t make this plea to the Lord then sit and wait in distress! She got up and smiled. Later, the Lord gave Hannah a son, which she named Samuel!
After the boy was weaned, the whole family went to offer their yearly sacrifice and left Samuel with Eli the priest, to be with the Lord just as Hannah had vowed in 1 Samuel 1:11. Hannah turned around and prayed a wonderful prayer to the Lord! (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
“My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1) Even after giving her son over to the Lord with no plans to see him again, the first thing out of Hannah’s mouth is praise! The rest of the prayer is focused on God and all that He is. God is the provider of protection and strength (1 Samuel 2:2). He has complete knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3), control, and authority (1 Samuel 2:6-7) of all. God created the world and all in it (1 Samuel 2:8). He is the victor over the wicked (1 Samuel 2:9). And lastly, God is the judge over all (1 Samuel 2:10).
Verse 2 states, “there is no rock like our God.” This makes me think of my favorite psalm when facing hard times; Psalm 62, which says, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:5-8). This is my favorite psalm because I feel so protected by God when I am reminded that He is my rock and my fortress on top of my hope, salvation, and refuge! Also, verse 8 tells us to pour out our hearts before God. Even though He is the God of complete knowledge, control, and authority, He still wants to hear our hurts and struggles. Hannah did just that when she made her vow to God about wanting a child!
Another part of Hannah’s prayer that stands out to me is 1 Samuel 2:6-7 which says, “The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, and he exalts.” This points to God being the ruler of all. God knows the hard situation I am going through, and He will use it for His glory. As one can guess, my husband and I have had to shift a bit financially after losing one income. We felt God leading me to stay home to raise our daughter, and loss of money was worth it. Boy has it been rewarding even through the hard times! I see how my daughter looks at me with all the trust and love she can muster all day long. She reminds me how I should be with my heavenly father. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I should be able to trust God, who is the ruler of all more than my daughter can trust me who is a sinner.
Hannah is definitely an example to me when it comes to hard times. She poured her heart out before the Lord, trusted in God’s complete knowledge of her situation, received the gift of a son, gave him right back to God to grow up ministering to the Lord, then praised God for all that He is. Instead of focusing on the hardships or the gift of Samuel, Hannah chose to focus on the one who gave her both. Though my situation and stressors haven’t changed, my mindset has. I am not in control, God is! Like Hannah, I poured my heart out to the Lord and continue to trust that He will do what is best for my family and me in His timing. Because of my hope and trust in God’s authority, I have joy again! I am thankful for a God who is in control and knows what lies ahead. The reality is even when we have passed through this hard situation, another will come. I pray when that day comes, I immediately remember my God is the ruler of all who is in complete control and authority of my situation, trust in Him, and sing praises to Him!
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