Guest contributor, Lisa from Club31Women
You’re not supposed to have favorites. I know that.
It doesn’t sound very Christian-like, does it?
And yet I do.
What can I say? I can relate to some Bible characters more than others. Some have stories that seem to speak directly to me. Like they were my own. As if we were born sisters, simply separated by a few thousand years.
So you want to know who my Biblical soul-sister would be?
Hannah.
Yeah, her. I just love that lady.
My answer might surprise you. After all, what does a woman who is best-known for her barrenness have to do with a woman who’s the mother to 8 children? Okay, so maybe it’s not immediately obvious, but we have more in common than would first appear.
Hannah was dearly loved by her husband.
But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah (I Sam.1:5).
She knew sorrow that reached to the depths of her heart.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish (I Sam.1:10).
You’re probably familiar with Hannah’s story (found in the first two chapters of I Samuel) and so I’ll briefly share my own.
Our fifth child – the dearest baby girl you can imagine – was born with severe brain damage. She’d suffered a massive stroke while I was still pregnant with her. No one knows why. It was just “one of those things” and the doctors didn’t have any hope to offer us. This girl would never walk, talk, or even know her own parents – if she lived at all. They didn’t make the slightest attempt to hide the grimness of her situation.
Now what else could a mama do when she finds herself in such a place? I could only hold that darling bundle of baby girl and “weep in anguish”. Cry out to God. With bitterness of soul.
Yes, Hannah, I understand what it’s like to want something – or someone – so badly that you think your heart might just break before it’s all over. To pour out your soul before The Lord and beg for His mercy on you. To call out His Name and yet hardly dare hope He’ll hear. You long for a miracle so very badly.
I know how it is to have heartache.
And I know how it is to be remembered.
Because God heard my cries too. Performed miracles. He answered and spared her life. But more than that….He allowed her to laugh, to talk, and to wrap her sweet arms around my neck and hug me tight. She knows her mama alright. She calls me by name and tells me she loves me every day.
I am remembered.
So Hannah and I sing pretty much the same song. Rejoicing. We share the same story of how God heard our prayers and gave us a gift beyond belief.
Like her, I’m a woman who stood by you here – praying. And it was granted.
I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him” (I Sam 1:26-27).
For this child I prayed.
Highlights from Hannah:
- Hannah poured out her soul before The Lord. (1:15)
- The Lord remembered her. (1:19)
- Hannah gave testimony of His work in her life. (1:27)
- She gave her gift back to The Lord. (1:28)
- She rejoiced in what He had done. (2:1)
So you can see why I feel so close to Hannah. As if she’s somehow a sister to me. Her heart speaks to mine – only a few millennia apart, really. Soul-sisters. Singing the same song.
One of my favorites.
And maybe one of yours.
Do you have a Hannah-like testimony? Have you been remembered? We’d be blessed if you shared yours, too…..
In His grace,
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