Digging Deep | Infertility Lessons from Hannah

People love to have someone else to relate to, especially in difficult situations in life. We want to know how other people cope with hurt, suffer through disappointment, and respond to people who make insensitive comments. I don't know how many times I have read the story of Hannah (found in I Samuel 1) but back in April I was having a particularly hard time with not having children. I took time to really meditate, study, and write down some lessons on Infertility from the life of Hannah. Studying how she lived, breathed, struggled, and overcomed infertility is someone I want to relate to, to model.



Infertility Lessons from the Life of Hannah

For better understanding, take a few minutes and read the first chapter of I Samuel.

Her Label /vs.2/ The first thing we are told about Hannah is that she is barren, broken, infertile. That was what she was known for: Hannah, wife of Elkanah, has no children. Talk about a stereotype!

Blessing of a Godly Husband /vs.3-4/ Hannah was barren but she was blessed with a godly husband, he went yearly and made sacrifices for his family. And Hannah held a special spot in Elkanah's heart, despite her barrenness. He loved her for who she was, not what she could and couldn't give him. This was particularly convicting to me because I too have a godly husband who loves me despite our not having a family yet.

God Closed the Womb /vs.5/ The Lord was the one who closed up Hannah's womb. Why? What was His purpose? Why has he not given us children, He is the Giver of Life? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I struggle asking them.

Ridicule May Come /vs. 6/ Hannah was provoked by Penninah, Elkanah's other wife. Ridiculed for what the Lord had done in Hannah's life, to Hannah's body.

Weeping is Ok /vs.7,10/ Hannah wept. She was hurting. Hannah knew grief. The Lord showed me in these verses that this was a read burden that Hannah carried, and it was made evident every month. And it isn't mentioned anywhere that her crying and her grief were wrong.

Hannah Lived with Heaviness /vs.10/ The Bible tells us that Hannah was in bitterness of soul. What a graphic picture. The bitterness was great heaviness, dicontentedness of her whole being. I know that feeling. You don't want to face the world, people, church, life. You ache and want to weep because there is no small life growing in you.

Pray, and Never Stop /vs. 10/ Hannah prayed. She wept at Jesus' feet. He felt her hurt, He bore her pain and shame of barrenness. Infertility was a great disgrace to women during Bible times, but the strangest thing is no matter what a women tried to help her barrenness, God is the only one who could give life. They couldn't change their barrenness.

Keep Your Promises /vs. 11/ Hannah promised the Lord if He would grant her request she would raise and give the child to Him.

Her Sorrow was Evident /vs. 15/ When Eil saw Hannah in the tabernacle He mistook her for being drunk. But she explained that she was a woman of a sorrowful spirit. {Sorrowful- servere, grievious sorrow} Spirit is life, so her life was a life of severely grievious sorrow.

Pour it All Out to the Lord /vs. 15/ Hannah poured out her soul. She spilled forth her desire, her very breath to the Lord while she poured her tears.

Be Faithful /vs. 16/ Hannah told Eli she wasn't a daughter of Satan, she was a faithful daughter of God. She was striving for holiness and well pleasing to God. Her barrenness wasn't a result of a disobedient life, she was walking with the Lord.

God Hears /vs. 17/ God heard her. And He hears me ever time I pour out my grief to Him. He is the Comforter.

/vs. 18/ When she heard from God she was no longer sad and kept her promise to the Lord. But do you think she took times to stop and thank God the blessed miracle of that son? I want to think she did. She only had Samuel home for a few years before he was taken to the tabernacle to serve with Eli. But guess what? The Lord blessed that faithfulness and promise kept, He gave Hannah five more children (I Sam. 2:21)

These truths from the life of Hannah were just what I needed on that day I was struggling in April. The Lord knew. I had been reading straight through my Bible and that morning when I opened to read I was to start the book of Samuel. The truth? I thought about skipping those chapters that day, I just didn't feel like being reminded of more infertility. But I didn't, I read the assigned passage and then I wept at God's timing. He knows, He feels our hurts, He hears the questions we are asked, and He answered Hannah. Be faithful! Keep hope!