“Rejoice Faithfully”

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1 (selected)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul offers some sound advice for our life in faith. He wrote “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. And while we all would probably agree with this, I’m certain that we all would also admit that it is nearly impossible to do it consistently! Have you ever tried to have a joyful heart during the most trying of circumstances? Are you in an attitude of prayer every moment of every day? How often do you actually give the Lord your grateful acknowledgment, regardless of the circumstances?

God knows, and I think that even Paul knew, that “always” never quite happens for us. But the point of Paul’s call is that whenever possible, our heart, mind and soul should truly be in this very state of thankful communion with the Almighty. And even though Paul doesn’t say it here, when we make a commitment to the Lord, regardless of what it may be, we had better be prepared to back it up with our actions.

Our text today is about a woman who lived in nearly constant oppression, and struggled deeply with why God would allow this to continue for so many years. She may not have been able to “rejoice always” during this time, but she never lost her faith and trust in Yahweh.

The woman’s name was Hannah, and she was unable to bear children.

Read 1 Samuel 1:1-2

The story of Hannah takes place 300 years after Israel finally entered the Promised Land and roughly 1,000 years before Christ’s birth. It was a time when a woman’s self-worth was centered on how many children she could bear for her husband, and more importantly, how many boys she gave birth to. Peninnah was honored, Hannah was a failure, but this didn’t mean that their husband, Elkanah, played favorites. He cared deeply for both women, but there was nothing that he could do for Hannah, except love her dearly. The prevailing thought was that God had, for some unknown reason, made her barren. Elkanah would give double portions of meat to Hannah as a sign of compassion and love for her, but this may have only served to fuel the antagonism that existed between the women.

Peninnah never gave Hannah a moment’s rest whenever Elkanah wasn’t around – she was constantly ridiculing her, and making her feel like a second class wife.

This story is about a broken family, and the unenviable position that Hannah found herself in. But in spite of her very great trial, Hannah would never give up hope that the Lord would, one day, and for some specific purpose, grant her a child.

Read 1 Samuel 1:9-17

Shiloh was the location of the Tabernacle and the Ark – the place where God lived with Israel. The entire family had come there to worship and sacrifice to Jehovah God, and I suspect that Hannah thought that the presence of the Lord would be a place of safety and hope. So in her great sense of loss and abandonment, she had come to the conclusion that her barrenness had something to do with God’s desire for her life. And she made the decision to offer the Lord the only thing she could possibly give him – if God would grant her the blessing of a child, she would commit her first born son to the Lord and to his service.

Think about the faithful heart that this woman must have had. For her entire life, she had been unable to gain the very thing that would have given her the greatest joy and personal worth, and here she is, willingly offering her first male child to the One who was thought to be the reason she couldn’t have children in the first place. Now it’s true that God isn’t in the deal making business, but there are times that we are allowed to go through a time of trial so that we can grow into the next phase of our life in faith.

What would you be willing to give to the Lord – not just offer as a loan for some short period of time, but to give it in a permanent and loving way forever? Would you be willing, if God granted your request, to give up the only thing you have ever wanted but could never have?

Maybe Paul was on to something when he wrote “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks”. This is exactly what Hannah was doing. She definitely had a prayerful heart, and even though she was anything but happy over her situation, she knew that her Lord cared for her. And she makes a thank offering to God of not just something that she could easily afford to give away, but of the very thing she had been praying for for years.

Hannah’s joy wouldn’t be solely in giving birth, but rather in knowing that her God loved her enough to overturn this life of barren existence. And we can also see this as a symbol of Israel’s relationship with Almighty God. Israel was yet to have a king, even while the nations that surrounded her did. The people of God were to place their allegiance and trust and hope in the authority of their Almighty , not in the presence of an earthly king. It wouldn’t be long before Israel would, indeed, ask for and receive a human king, but even at that, the king was to be committed to listening to, and following in, the way of God. By reason of this story of Hannah and her undying faith in God, Israel was being told that the only true way to live was through allegiance to the great Jehovah.

Through Hannah’s story, we discover that our faith has nothing to do with the way that people, who are in our lives, treat us, and that it isn’t even based in the religious authorities who are called to lead us. Faith is a one-on-one relationship between each of us and God alone. It is about the trust that we are called to show to the Lord; it requires our surrender to his authority; it involves a love that goes beyond description or definition; it is demonstrated by belief in the power of prayer; it is the belief that God has no limits, and that He wants to use that great power for our good. That is where Hannah was, it was where Israel should have been, and it is where each of us must be today.

But this isn’t the last lesson that Hannah has for us.

Read 1 Samuel 1:24-28

After they had returned home from Shiloh, Elkanah laid with Hannah, and she conceived. But now comes the test – would the woman keep her vow that the boy would be given – not just dedicated, but given – to service in the Lord, or would she decide that she just couldn’t give up the wonderful gift of this first child? Scripture doesn’t seem to indicate, or even imply, that there was any hesitation on Hannah’s part, so I think we can safely assume that Paul’s constant joyfulness and thanksgiving was at play in this moment of her life.

So our last lesson for today is this – what is it that you desperately need, or want, more than anything else in the world, and if you ask the Lord, and if He grants your request, are you willing to return it for service in the name of Jesus Christ?

If it is freedom from some addiction, will you allow the Lord to use your story, as embarrassing as it may be, to free others from the darkness that envelopes their lives?
If it is healing from a deadly illness, will you commit your life to serving Almighty God in his way, and not your own?
If it is relief from an oppressive burden that is destroying your life, will you lead others to the source of relief for their lives?
If it is your search for answers to the questions of this life and beyond, what will you do with those answers?

Are you prepared to live with a joyful heart that, regardless of what this life entails, brings honor to Jesus Christ?
Are you ready to live a prayerful existence, to always stay in connection with God?
Will you show your gratitude to God for his presence in your life, and give your thanks to him in all matters?

You may notice that I’m leaving you with a lot of questions today, and allowing you to make your own connection between Hannah’s story, as well as that of Israel’s history, and relate it to the story that God has prepared for you. Jeremiah 29:11-13 is far more than just a promise – it is a call that the Lord has placed on your life, and a promise that is founded in his faithfulness. (READ) It’s a plan that we must never say “no” to.

The Lord was faithful in his plan to care for Hanna’s needs, and she was joyfully faithful in return. Won’t you give the Lord a chance to work that same power of faithfulness in your life? Today?