moms like hannah

Last year on Mother's Day, our church considered Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was a good perspective on one of history's most agonizing sacrifices, besides that of our heavenly Father.

Today we studied Hannah, another maternal heart worthy of our attention.

According to 1 Samuel 1, Hannah was the barren wife of Elkanah. While she battled feelings of inadequacy, shame, and grief, year after year, Hannah watched Elkanah's other wife bear multiple children, and understandably so, fell into a season of deep depression.

In a moment of despair, Hannah went to the temple of the Lord, and she prayed. And she prayed hard. The scriptures tell us she poured out her soul, and that she prayed out of her anguish and grief (1 Sam. 1:15-16).

Out of her heartache, a noble surrender came forth, and she vowed to dedicate her child to the Lord's service, if indeed she was gifted a child. She forfeited all the things a son would mean for her during that historical time: security, wealth, and even physical defense.

Eventually, the Lord did bless Hannah with a son (and five more children after that, by the way, because God can get extravagant like that), and her story continues to bear witness to the grace of God even today.

For women who face unfulfilled longings of bearing their own children, Hannah is certainly relatable.

For Christians who seek a model for vulnerability and honesty in prayer, Hannah is exemplary.

But our pastor highlighted a subtle but staggering truth today, which I'm not sure I've grasped before:

Hannah's burden was lifted before, not after, the Lord remembered her and blessed her with a child.

According to the passage, she "went her way and ... her countenance was no longer sad" after her prayer, but well before she conceived her son (v. 18). In other words, her burden wasn't lifted as a result of a fulfilled desire.

On the contrary, when Hannah surrendered the personal fulfillment a child would bring, and instead offered that child as an agent to be used for God's glory, she was restored.

I'm so grateful for moms like Hannah, who see motherhood as more than just a personal wish to be granted. More than a chance to round out a family portrait.

Instead, when moms see their role as a high calling to raise up children who will advance the kingdom of the Lord, that's real inspiration.

There are a lot of moms out there who get it, like Hannah did. Let's honor and encourage those moms not just today, but every day. They are worthy of it!