When God Breaks ThroughSample

Day 6 — God Breaks Through Silence

Hannah’s story brings many emotions. It is a story of trusting in the waiting and continuing to ask. Hannah was married to Elkanah, who also had another wife named Peninnah. The Bible says that Elkanah loved Hannah and that the Lord had closed her womb.

Imagine receiving the love of your husband but still feeling the deep void of barrenness. Imagine dealing with Peninnah provoking you and rubbing her blessings in your face. I can only imagine how hopeless Hannah must have felt as she wrestled with this year after year, weighed down by the shame of her condition, provoked at home, and later misunderstood by the priest Eli. Her life was marked by weeping and crying bitterly before the Lord.

Wondering why God had not answered. Wondering if He ever would. We see God move in powerful ways for others, and we ask, would He do that for me? Sometimes we find ourselves in that place. I know God can do it, but would He do it for me?

Hannah simply wanted to be remembered. In the silence, she showed up over and over again. All she had to offer were her tears, but she came anyway. And in time, after pouring out her soul before the Lord, He remembered her. He broke the silence, and she conceived Samuel. His name reflects this truth: God hears. Hannah herself said, “Because I asked the Lord for him” (v. 20 NIV).

God did the impossible for her. And in response, she gave Samuel back to the Lord.

Reflection:

What have you been longing for so long? Have you stopped asking because God has been silent? I encourage you to keep asking and remember the God who hears.