Go Bless a Sister!

So, it just so happens that throughout the past several years of my life, I have found the Bible character Hannah to be extremely relatable. 1 Samuel Chapter 1 is one of those passages that my worn out purple Bible just flips open to. I know you probably have those too. It's one of those seasoned passages where I have handwritten dates next to specific verses. One that has ministered to my heart in various seasons of my life – Times when I have been seeking direction on what to do after finishing college, praying about certain ministry or job opportunities, praying over and over again that the Lord would change a specific person’s heart, praying for fulfillment of certain desires of my heart. All of these very real seasons had 1 common denominator – I was being required to “wait” on something from the Lord. I just released a very deep breath. Why? Because just talking about waiting is something that saps my energy. Waiting can be an extremely fickle process, too – one day we’re going strong, the next we can barely get out of bed. Can anyone relate? When I recently felt the Lord lead me back to study 1 Samuel 1, I was a little skeptical. “Lord, You have brought me to this familiar passage so many times. What more could you possibly have for me here?”

Let me encourage you that those familiar passages of Scripture are familiar to you for a reason. God has something for you there. He certainly spoke a fresh word over 1 Samuel 1 for me this time – So much so, that I decided to keep on reading and now I’m halfway into 2 Samuel. I have pages of thoughts in my heart right now on the book of 1 Samuel, and I am still deciphering through a large portion of it.

My encouragement to you today comes from none other than … 1 Samuel Chapter 1. If you have some time today, open your Bible and read this chapter. It’s a short 28 verses, and will take you 10 minutes at the most.

Let’s take a quick look at the first 10 verses of 1 Samuel Chapter 1. We are told in verses 1-2 that Hannah is not Elkanah’s one and only. He in fact has two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. The latter part of verse 2 reads, “Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.” It is presumable that Elkanah married Hannah first, but because she could not bear children, he then also married Peninnah. 1 Samuel 1:6-7 says, “And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” Alright, so who wants to fight Peninnah??! No doubt about it - we could camp out here for a while, but let’s move on to what I believe God has for us here today.

All Isrealite men were required to attend 3 annual feasts at the central sanctuary, which in this case was at Shiloh. Elkanah gathers his wives and they head to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord (v. 3). After they are finished with their feast, Hannah stands up and begins to pray.

1 Samuel 1:10-11 reads: “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow saying, ‘O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’”

Eli, the high priest at Shiloh, witnesses this scene and approaches Hannah. After first falsely accusing her of being drunk on wine (vs. 13-14), Eli recognizes the reality of the situation and seeks to take on a different approach to Hannah's heart cry: He blesses her. In verse 14, Eli says, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him."

CHECK OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: "Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast" (1 Samuel 1:18).

WHO have you blessed lately? Who in your life has been praying over a certain circumstance for actual years, or maybe what seems like years? Is the Lord calling you to encourage them in their feat? Have you ever considered that your encouragement could actually spur them onto greater faith in the Lord? That God could use your words to cause a turning point in their soul struggle?

Look at the transition in Hannah’s spirit between 1 Sam. 1:16 and 18. I believe it all goes back to the blessing of Eli. By the looks of it, he did not know why Hannah was crying out to the Lord. The only thing He knew was that she was in “great anguish and grief,” that the matter of her heart was so pressing, so sincere, so significant, that her entire soul was crying out to the Lord. Do we have to know exactly what someone is experiencing in order to pray for them, or encourage them? How often, in fact, do we use that as an excuse not to pray for or reach out to others? “Well, I would pray, but I don’t know how to pray.”

There are women in our lives, all around us, who have been crying out to the Lord, who have been fighting a battle with the rival of their souls, for years. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year after year after year … the same battle. Ask the Lord to reveal to you who they are. Ask Him to make you attentive to the needs of others. To create some empathy in you. We do not need to “pry” in order to “pray.”

I don't know about you, but I feel like going and blessing a sister!