A Mother’s praise

Introduction

1 Samuel 2:1–10 “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, Mine horn is exalted in the Lord: My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: For there is none beside thee: Neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, And they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry ceased: So that the barren hath born seven; And she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, To set them among princes, And to make them inherit the throne of glory:…”

Let's call her Beatrice. She was married, had no less than six children, and was a faithful housewife. Her husband, the sole breadwinner, was a drunk and perhaps even abusive (good for nothing; deadbeat). Things were tough, and the future looked dark for Beatrice, but when she considered her children's future, she had to act. She saved enough money to leave and start over somewhere else, alone with her children. They had some tough years, but Beatrice and her children made it. Today, if you should meet her, she has nothing but praise for God in her mouth. So, the folks are envious of who she is now, but they do not know the whole story. Beatrice's story is like that of Hannah in the book of Samuel.

The Persecuted Mother

Folks sometimes envy who you are and where you are now. They want what you have but don't know, and even if they do, they do not want your experience, only your success.

The Persecuted Mother

1 Samuel 1:1–7 “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.”

A story about kings begins with an unhappy woman.

It starts about a man, but it is really about a woman.

Hannah was the love wife while Peninnah was the childbearing wife.

Hannah was unhappy and considered a failure: she could not have children.

The childbearing Peninnah provoked her: She became the Persecuted; barrenness was viewed as a curse from God in those days. (While we may not understand Hannah's feelings of failure, it must be noted that many of us here today may be experiencing feelings of inadequacy or incompleteness for some reason.)

Hannah felt the worst when she was at church, a place where she should have received the most comfort.

She watched Elkanah give Peninnah and all her children portions, but she could not share in that experience

Her husband tried doubling her portion, but her need was not being met.

So while everyone was having a wonderful time in church, her failure was being heightened.

"Today, there are people for whom worship is not a time of forgiveness and renewal but a time of heightened guilt." ( Chafin, K. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1989).

 We sometimes make single mothers and divorced mothers feel like failures in the sanctuary. For that, as a church, we must answer to the Almighty. The church must be a place of love, compassion, and acceptance because we are all here by the grace of God.

The Promise-Keeping Mother

1 Samuel 1:8–11 “Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.”

The persecution was severe: "so it was year by year."

Like most men, Elkanah thought he could fix the problem, but in his attempt to do so, he came across as insensitive.

But today was her day. There were no fertility clinics back then, nor surrogate moms; she felt God had closed her womb, so she went to God to reopen it.

She promised that if she got a male child, she would give him to the Lord forever (children were weaned from about three years old).

Folks see you ladies now, all pretty and accomplished, enjoying your children and grandchildren, and are envious. Still, they do not know the sacrifices you had to make and the promises you made on your knees before God.

Some may say she bargained with God, but folks' desperate times require desperate measures. And we don't know the relationship Hannah had with God. God individualizes our situation.

The Praying Mother

1 Samuel 1:12–18 “And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.”

The text suggests that Hannah did not speak words (Illustration: Ex 2:24; God heard the groanings of the children of Israel: sometimes we can't utter words, but the Holy Spirit interprets our groanings).

Mom, you might be praying for a situation year after year, but one day, one moment, one conversation, one confrontation with Jesus can change it. So, if you are praying for your spouse, child, or friend, continue praying, and your day will be closer than when you first started.

Breakthrough comes faster when we realize God can handle our frustrations and anger. We don't have to pretend or hold back with God.

She was in bitterness of soul; her lips were moving, and the pastor thought she was drunk. You may be in the congregation quiet and contemplative, and folks may judge you, not knowing you are connecting with heaven. You may shout hallelujah, clap your hands, and even cry aloud as you connect with Jesus. Folks will still judge, but only you know your story. My encouragement is like Hannah's: pray on.

The same mouth that condemned her was the same mouth God used to bless her. So, don't get angry when folks in ignorance condemn you politely, like Hannah. Let them know you are connecting with heaven and watching God work.

Her continence changed. The woman of sorrowful spirit was now described as "her face was no more sad."

The Praising Mother

1 Samuel 2:1–11 “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, Mine horn is exalted in the Lord: My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: For there is none beside thee: Neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, And they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry ceased: So that the barren hath born seven; And she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, To set them among princes, And to make them inherit the throne of glory:…”

She celebrated:

God is powerful and Holy (2:1-2)

God silences those who persecute and criticize his people (v.3)

The Lord reverses fortunes (vv . 4-8), indicating that we must remain humble.

God provides for his people (v.9)

God deals with his adversaries and exalts his king (v.10)

Conclusion

Beatrice is enjoying her hard work today. She went back to school and earned a master's degree. Today, she travels the world to visit her children, who have all grown up and are doing well. She is in her praise phase. Each of us is in a different phase, but like Hannah, know that God is with you every step of the way. This week I encourage you to:

Support a mother in some special way.

Speak to God like Hannah about what is a burden to you.

Talk to God: He can handle your anger and frustration.

Ignore the naysayers and watch God work.