Barrenness

Because of a recent message on Sunday morning where the questions were asked, "Is barrenness our normal? Does it bother us, or are we blind to it?"  Then the following statement: "Fruitfulness is God's normal."

I was considering the account of Hannah in the first chapter of Samuel.  She was the second wife and her rival, Peninah (whose name by the way means "Perversity") had sons and daughters while Hannah remained barren.  The Bible says that her rival provoked her severely, to make her miserable and grieved; and apparently this went on year after year!  

Each year they would faithfully go up to the house of the Lord again...but because of the other, unpleasant wife Hannah wept and didn't eat. 

Now I have read this story many times, but while musing over it this time, I wondered why Hannah was not pressed to cry out to the Lord desperately during these years. Why did she just cry, grieve and refuse to eat?? And, then I realized this is often what we do as well. Spiritually when oppressed,  do we not often simply feel bad; instead of pressing through to touch the Lord?!

In the 9th verse we are told that she finally did go to the tabernacle where she prayed and wept in anguish as this time she poured out her soul before the Lord.  In her desperation the priest who was watching came to an absolutely ridiculous conclusion! He thought, and then accused her of drinking...of being drunk.   But Hannah had come to the point of being oblivious to the one or ones watching her--and this was a wonderful place to be!  As she interacted with the Lord; through even a faulty priest the answer to her request was given--even before he knew what it was.

Upon hearing his reassuring words this desperate lady went her way but now with a face that was no longer sad. Now she could feast with the others on these special days when God's people gathered to enjoy Him.  She now had the confidence that God had indeed heard her; and that she would be barren no longer!

It is wonderful that Hannah was devastated about her barrenness, and it is wonderful that she went to the Lord about it!  Did the pressure have to build over the years though, until she did pour it all out to HIM. Is that what needs to happen to us?   I am so very thankful that our LORD is praying for us...that we would become all that HE has predestined us to be. May we really learn, and be willing to cooperate with HIM!