Prayer of the Barren
The prayer of Hannah might be one of the most forgettable but essential narratives in the entire Hebrew scriptures. This remarkable woman of God known as Hannah only gets a few short verses, but what we learn about this woman is life-changing. It is not only life-changing for us but also for the people around her during this time.
Hannah was unable to have children because God had closed her womb, we are not given a reason why he did this, but we know that God had closed off childbearing for Hannah.
“Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.”
In the time and culture Hannah lived, the ability of women to have children would have been a sign of their status; if they were unable to have children, they would have been looked down upon. Hannah could not have children, which is most likely why her husband married another woman. Continuing your family bloodline through your children was of the utmost importance for people.
“He had two wives; the name of one was Hanna, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ”
As we saw before, Hannah was provoked and ridiculed for her lack of childbearing by her husband’s second wife. This barrenness affected Hannah so much that she finally reached a tipping point and decided to try and do something about it. Having grown up knowing the stories of Sarah and Rachel, Hannah would have understood completely what it was like to take matters into her own hands.
When Abraham and Sarah could not have children, even though God had promised to bless their family, they decided not to wait for God’s timing. Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham to have a child.
“So Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.’ And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.”
This arrangement did not work well for anyone involved in the situation. The same thing happened to Jacob and his wife, Rachel.
“ Then Rachel told him,’ Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her, I can have a family too.’ ”
As you can imagine, with multiple wives and different servants, the family dynamics were a mess in these marriages. But what was most troubling about these situations is the people involved tried to take the place of God and make the situations work on their time schedules. As much as we want to control situations, we are often not in control.
This was a message that Hannah understood completely. She knew she was not in control of her situation, but she knew where to go to plead her case.
“And she made this vow: ‘O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut. (NLT)”
So unlike the women of the past, who chose to turn from God alone or with their husbands, Hannah instead chose to cry out to God and trust in his timing and favor. God answered her prayer, and she is given a son whom she named Samuel, who would go on to be a prophet, judge of Israel, and the priest that would anoint King David. This is the line that Jesus would come from in the future, and Hannah played a big part in God’s story.
In the New Testament, we see another woman who is promised a child who would play a huge part in God’s redemptive story for his people. Mary was promised a child that would usher in a significant change to the world, so much so it would turn everything upside down. She, of course, was going to give birth to Jesus.
“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.’”
What is interesting from both the Samuel and Luke texts is after both announcements of God’s favor to these women, a prayer of praise is given. Most biblical scholars believe the Luke text(1.46-55) is based on the 1 Samuel text (2.1-10)
“And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. “He has filled the hungry with good things, And sent the rich away empty-handed. “He has given help to His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, Just as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.””
“Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. “Do not go on boasting so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed. “The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength. “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to be hungry. Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes. “The Lord puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and brings up. “The Lord makes poor and rich; He humbles, He also exalts. “He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap To seat them with nobles, And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them. “He watches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a person prevail. “Those who contend with the Lord will be terrified; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.””
What is seen in both of these prayers is that God is lifted up as the ruler of this world. If we would take the time to trust in God, he will be the one that lifts us higher. These prayers were for the lowly, the forgotten, the ones that society had cast aside; they were precisely who God would elevate in this world through his Son Jesus. It was the upside-down kingdom that God was bringing to the world.
Our power is not in status but in our posture before God.
Status did not matter to Jesus; he often elevated the lowly to a place of prominence. In these women’s eyes, we were all children of God, and he was going to glorify us all; those are the words that bleed out of both prayers from Mary and Hannah. God is righteous and holy; he looks at a person’s heart and nothing else; it is our posture before God that he will judge. As Hannah’s prayer states emphatically, ‘No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; the is no Rock like our God.’(1 Samuel 2.2)
What is your posture before God? Heed the words of these prayers to trust in the Lord because he is the one who will lift the broken.
“ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Hannah is the living embodiment of this Psalm; though it was written after her time, she trusted that the Lord was close to her through it all. We often do not pass the test as well as Hannah. Though we often fail God and will continue to fail, we look to our creator for the strength to be near and ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to be like the visible image of God, Jesus. God has not called you to be perfect but has called you to trust with all of your heart, mind, and soul that Jesus is King; it will be through him that the world is redeemed. So, what is our posture before God? Is it that we love God and we love others; through that, the world will see the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.
