There are many problems and sorrows that create stress in life. Oddly enough most of us don’t think of the anguish of being childless. But for those who sincerely desire to have a child and cannot, then it is a big deal.The pain is real. The grief is real. And that is where we find Hannah—a woman who cannot have children. She nurses a hurt, and she doubts her worthiness. But in her pain and grief, she turns to God. Now Hannah’s story is a little different than other women we may know who were childless. We’re told that Hannah couldn’t have children “because the LORD had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:6).Some think that this was just a way of saying that she could not get pregnant because they did not understand the natural working of the body, or because they didn’t know how to explain some tragedy or a natural disaster. But the Bible clearly states that God was working in this situation. This phrase is only used one other time in Scripture in the case of Abraham and Sarah, when King Abimelech wanted to take Sarah as his wife (Genesis 20:17-18). God was working.So God had a plan for Hannah. She was a godly woman. God was not punishing her. God wanted Hannah to come to a certain point in her faith before He allowed her to have a child. God needed to raise up a hero who could lead His people to righteousness. But Sarah needed to have a stronger faith. He needed Hannah to become desperate enough to do what God needed done. Which was – for her to give her boy to Him!Sometimes God uses our pain to guide us to do His will. In her pain, Hannah comes to a decision: If God will give her a son she says: “… I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life… ”(1 Samuel 1:11). Now the Law of Moses specified that every firstborn male was God’s anyway (Exodus 13:2). But in Numbers 18:16 it says that every first born son could be “redeemed.” That means they would pay the redemption price to buy their firstborn back.But Hannah’s faith had deepened and she vowed to God: “God, if you give me a son, I’ll let you keep him. AND I WILL NOT redeem him back.” I believe that she came ...
