Hannah. Barrenness. And 3 Lessons for You! (Part 1)

Many of us who have read the story of Hannah just relate this story to not being able to conceive a child. In this post I would like to speak to you about ‘barrenness’ as a principle that you can apply to any area of your life to encounter God Himself. You could be barren of love, joy, happiness, peace, or simply be unable to receiving healing in some area of your life, that Jesus paid for. But remember, God created you to be fruitful, multiply, bear fruit and have abundant life in this world (John 10:10). In his presence there is fullness of joy and barrenness is converted to abundance.

You could walk away with this story as God being the cause of Hannah’s misery, since the Bible mentions, that “Elkanah gave a double portion to Hannah because he loved her and the Lord closed her womb”– 1 Samuel 1:5. I do not want to get into providing reasons justifying God’s actions or even start trying to defend Him, because I know Him to be a loving Father whom I trust completely. There are just so many possibilities of why God ‘closed’ Hannah’s womb that this short post simply cannot cover. But I do however, want to talk about how we can turn barrenness in any area into a portal for the manifestation of God in your life.

Here are three lessons to learn from the life of Hannah:

1. Understand your season and what God is speaking to you!

Every season has an expiration date. Hannah’s rival Penninah, would provoke her to irritate her till she wept bitterly. The Bible mentions that Hannah went through her bareness for years. Year after year she would go to the temple and return even worse than before. Could that be our condition today, we go to church, sing, praise and worship, listen to the word of God and yet remain untouched or unchanged? What is God speaking to you in this period of barrenness?

We see Hannah would be downcast, disheartened, crying and would not eat because she wanted to match her rival but was unable. Hannah’s self-worth was wrapped up in a baby as long as she could not have one, she felt she was useless. And that’s one of the greatest lies of the enemy. This was actually a time of building up Hannah’s faith in the God, the one she so greatly sought year after year. So, don’t miss out on what God has for you each season. He is at work and is faithful to complete His plan for your life. But it is our job to trust Him and stand firm.

Remember, your season of barrenness or pain or brokenness in any area can be a portal for the manifestation of the greatest encounter of God and His grace. Hannah wanted a child to prove a point to herself and her rival, but God wanted to birth a prophet – one of the greatest prophets Israel had ever seen. And God was not done with just that. Hannah gave birth to 5 more children after she had Samuel. When God blesses, He gives much more than what you asked or imagined, if we understand the season we are living.

TO BE CONTINUED……

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