Enjoy another article by guest author Jesse Flowers from his “Godly Women of the Bible” series:

I’m sure you have heard the expression, “behind every great man there is a great woman.” This is certainly true as it pertains to the Bible story of Hannah and her son Samuel. She was a most impressive woman in so many ways. She will inspire you, comfort you, and even challenge you spiritually. Please join me in a study of a godly woman from whom we can learn and benefit a great deal.

1.  She was barren. Elkanah “had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children” (1 Sam. 1:2). To make matters worse, Peninnah intentionally “provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb” (1 Sam. 1:6). Even when the family made the yearly trip to the house of the LORD “she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat” (1 Sam. 1:7). And although her husband tried to “cheer her up,” his words did very little to comfort her broken heart. She longed for a child, nothing was more important to her. Hannah was certainly a woman that could readily relate to the anguish and sorrow of not being able to bear children. To any who may find themselves in a similar situation today, remember that God has always cared about the plight of the barren.

2.  She prayed fervently. “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish” (1 Sam. 1:10). When was the last time you wept greatly while praying to God because of your misery, despondency, and sadness? She poured out her soul before the LORD (v. 15). When was the last time that you poured out your soul to God in prayer? God’s ears are open to the prayers of the righteous (1 Peter 3:12), and “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Hannah’s prayers were heard and they accomplished much! It’s also interesting to note that after praying and her brief conversation with Eli that she “went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1 Sam. 1:18). We feel great anxiety we are to pray to God “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). Never forget that when you feel overwhelmed to cast your cares upon God, knowing that He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7). Never forget when you find yourself in a pit of despair to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). We all can learn some wonderful lessons about prayer from this godly woman named Hannah.

3.  She kept her promise. While praying in Shiloh she made a vow to God that if He would bless her with a male child, then she would “give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11). Wow, what a promise to make! To ask God for a child, then promise to give him up all the days of his life! The great void and emptiness in her life was that she had no children. And when she finally received a child of her own, how tempting it would have been to go back on the vow she had made. But there is no indication that she ever entertained the idea. She made a promise to God, and she was resolved to honor that promise. This was a woman of great integrity. The psalmist David speaks of the one “who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:4). That was Hannah. We too must strive to be men and women of integrity, that refuse to go back on a promise that we have made to God and to men (Eph. 4:25; Jam. 5:12).

4.  She was sacrificial. It’s hard to fathom a greater and more difficult sacrifice for Hannah to make than her willingness to sacrifice her son to God for his entire life (1 Sam. 1:28). For that which she longed for the most, she surrendered him completely to the LORD. What are you willing to sacrifice to God? To sacrifice to is to give up something or someone that we value. Every Christian is to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). We are to be willing to sacrifice our family, our self, our life – EVERYTHING for the Christ we love and serve (Luke 14:25-27, 33). We are “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Are we sacrificial when it comes to our service before God? Or do we merely follow the Lord when it is convenient to do so? David said that he would not offer to God that which costs him nothing (2 Sam. 24:24). Can you think of a greater or better sacrifice than Hannah’s, to give her child to God? Like Hannah, let us also be sacrificial and give our children to God!

5.  She was a devoted mother. If there was ever a mother that redeemed the time with her children, then it was Hannah. Through the years older parents and grandparents, based on wisdom and experience, remind me to enjoy my children because they will grow up so fast and soon leave home. Indeed it is very true that our time with our children is both limited and precious, and so we must be very conscientious to redeem that time. But consider how this truth was incredibly magnified in the case of godly Hannah. She would not have her son Samuel for very long. Her plan was to fulfill her vow to God regarding her son, after she had weaned him (1 Sam. 1:21-24). We don’t know how old the “child” Samuel was when Hannah left him in the care of Eli, but we can be confident of her godly influence in his life from birth onward. She would bring him a little robe year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice (2:19). How she must have missed him terribly, and yearned with excitement and joy to see her young son each year. Let us also be devoted parents to our children that the Lord has blessed us with (Ps. 127:3) in bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:1-4).

6.  She loved the LORD. There are many indications in the text of Hannah’s love for the LORD. Clearly, worshiping God held a place of great importance in her life (1 Sam. 1:3-5, 7, 19, 28; 2:19), and it should be a natural priority in our life (Jn. 4:23-24; Mt. 6:33; Heb. 10:24-25). Further, she described herself as a “maidservant” of the LORD (1 Sam. 1:11). We too ought to humbly view ourselves as the servants of God (Heb. 12:28). Also she was a woman given to earnest and steadfast prayer. She depended on God, she put her trust in God, she rejoiced and praised God, and freely poured out her soul before Him (1 Sam. 1:10-17; 2:1-10). If we truly love the Lord like Hannah did, then it will be evident in how we draw near to God in our prayers to Him (James 4:8). Even the name she gave to her child expresses her love and appreciation for the LORD. Samuel means “heard by God” (1:20).

Hannah may seem to you like a minor Bible character, but what a major role her sacrifice had in the lives of others. All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew Samuel had been established as a prophet to the LORD (1 Sam. 3:20). He led Israel to repent of false gods and serve the LORD only (7:3). The hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel (7:13). Consider the tremendous influence that he had upon Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. And Samuel is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. If we would only give ourselves and our children completely to the Lord, what great things we too could accomplish in the kingdom!

Jesse Flowers has been preaching for the church of Christ at Pruett and Lobit Street in Baytown, Texas for the past 8 years. He is married to his beautiful wife, April (Melton), and they have four sweet children, Jesse, Josiah, Anna and Clara. If interested, you can read more of his articles or listen to his sermons at www.biblework.com.