1 Samuel 1:1-10
1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite [a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
7 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.
10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.
11 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."
She was ashamed. She was tormented. She was barren. Her husband tried to console her. 'You're already blessed,' he virtually told her. Yes, Hannah was a beloved wife. Hundreds of lonely, rejected women would be content with that, but not Hannah. She could know no peace until she had borne a child.
This yearning for a baby arose from within, was fuelled by her society's attitude and further intensified by her rival - her husband's second wife. Ultimately, however, I believe the pressure was from God.
'And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed . . . , "O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt . . . give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life . . . " ' (1 Samuel 1:10-11)
It seems the Lord had long been waiting for this degree of commitment. Perhaps reaching this point sooner would have shaved years off her wait. Nonetheless, to her vow of consecration she added faith. Before any tangible sign of answered prayer 'her countenance was no more sad.'
(1 Samuel 1:18) Years of anguish fostered prayer, devotion, and now, faith. A miracle was hurtling toward this planet. (1 Samuel 1:20)
That's how God moves. Think of... Isaac, Israel, Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist were all born to women who had been barren. (Genesis 18:11; 25:21-26; Judges 13:3; 1 Samuel 1:20; Luke 1:7, 13) Barrenness forced these women to exceptional fervor in praying for conception. Little wonder that they conceived exceptional children.
They were barren, but barren for a purpose.
In what areas of your life are you experiencing bareness today?
Is it in your marriage? Have you no children? Is it in your spiritual walk? Your business? Your career? Your prayer life...does your life seem like it is headed nowhere and everything you touch dies?
Are you content to live in that kind of situation? Have you accepted that to be your lot in life? Or have you like Abraham and Sarah tried to make things happen in your own strength and understanding? Abraham took Sarah's suggestion to have a child with her servant Hagar but this was not the promised son. God is able to do that which He has promised. Though it tarries, the promise will surely come to pass.
Ending barrenness involves being intimate with the lord. God's woman turned barrenness into a blessing not by suppressing her desires but by letting it bring her to her knees and to a rare level of commitment.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Let the area you are experiencing bareness propel you to a new level of commitment to God
GODS PROMISE FOR TODAY
Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.
