The Grands Letter (1 Sam/GLJ)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. on March 26, 2022 6:21 am (CST)Dear Grands,
1 Samuel 1:1-2; 10-11, “Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children….
10 She (Hannah), greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
11 She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
Small children hear and grasp a lot of things –many of which are never known to their elders. I can “hear” my maternal grandmother saying to my mother, “They haven’t reckoned with the LORD.”
Hannah was barren because the LORD had closed her womb (1:5). Her husband sought to comfort her, saying that she was more to him than 10 sons. Yet, Hannah’s only recourse was prayer. The result was the birth of a son: Samuel.
Your distress may lie well outside of Hannah’s difficulty. Still, the resolution of all difficulties lies within our prayerful dependence upon the LORD. There is no indication in Scripture whether Peninnah ever prayed for Hannah. Surely, her husband did. Nevertheless, the credit for Samuel’s birth is to be granted to his mother for her fervent and consistent prayers. The LORD hears and answers only prayers that are both earnest and sincere.
Do you spend time in prayer with the LORD? If not, your hope for procuring help
from the LORD is not likely to come. The psalmist said, “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Trust Him and see.
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom
