How Hannah Got Her Happy Back

Have you ever known a whiner? Whiners are known for their grumbling, which you can usually hear from a mile away. They come in every age and from all walks of life. What’s so irritating about them is that they focus only on the things that aren’t fair, the things they don’t have, or the things they wish they didn’t have to deal with. They completely ignore all the good things in their lives: “I got this brand new, sparkly, fully-loaded, sporty SUV, but I absolutely cannot stand the color of the seats.” Know anyone like that?

I have to admit, when I read about Hannah this week, I started to write her off as a whiner. Let’s think about what all she had going for her. Hannah had an awesome husband, Elkanah. First of all, he loved God. He was the spiritual leader of his household, a quality many of us look for in our husbands or potential husbands today. Not only did Elkanah love God and worship Him regularly, he also loved Hannah—a lot. He made sure to treat her extra-special (even above his other wife) despite the fact that she couldn’t conceive a child for him. He even paid attention to her emotions. What a guy! But wait, there’s more: Based on what happens later in the story, we see that Elkanah also supported Hannah even though her actions would in essence cost him a son (despite his lawful right to intervene in her plans).

She had it good. Yet she still complained! I’m seeing all these blessings and thinking, what’s wrong with this girl? Why is she so miserable? Sure she can’t have a kid, but look what else she has! How ungrateful she is!

By the end of the story, however, my opinion about Hannah had changed. I realized that she’s not really a whiner after all. One of the most obtrusive characteristics of a true whiner is that they are never ever content—they make themselves lifelong victims to their circumstances. But Hannah surprised me. She had this great desire for a particular thing that she couldn’t provide for herself, and it hurt her tremendously. But instead of making herself a victim of injustice, she took her desire to God. She poured her heart out at His feet, left her discontent there, and chose to focus on His faithfulness rather than her misfortune. And, as a result, she got happy.

What’s even more interesting is Hannah promised God that if He would give her the child she wanted so desperately, she would give him back to God. That’s right—she’d hold her dream in her hands and then let it go again. In God’s faithfulness to Hannah’s prayer, He gave her a son. And in Hannah’s faithfulness to her promise to God, she released her son to Him. And then she praised God. She wasn’t mad at God for actually holding her up to her promise. She didn’t jump back on the victim train. She praised God.

Hannah’s story reminds me that my God is not some distant Deity, unaware of my desires and unmoved by my pain. He cares deeply and He wants to bless me. He wants me to pour my heart out to Him so He can give me peace. It also reminds me that I have plenty to praise God for, even if I don’t get exactly what I want in the exact way I want it. In fact, even if I never got anything I wanted, I would still have a lot to praise God for, starting with my salvation.

Ask yourself: What dreams am I trying desperately to achieve? Am I willing to submit those dreams to God and trust in His faithfulness? Can I praise Him when I am face to face with the unfairness of life? Do I believe He cares for me?

He does care. And He is faithful. Let Him prove it to you.