Read 1 Samuel 1:1-18
Katherine seemed to have it all—at age 17, she was a successful student with a college scholarship to the school of her choice, plenty of friends, and a supportive family. But no one knew that Katherine was deliberately starving herself. “At first, I just wanted to feel prettier—which I thought meant being thinner,” Katherine said. “And then I was so ashamed that it felt like a good way to punish myself for any way I messed up.”
In our reading today, Hannah might have initially appeared to have it all together. She was happily married to a husband who adored her. But her inability to bear children caused her constant grief and shame. In her day, an infertile woman was considered as worthless as an infertile field.
Despite her husband’s assurances of love, Hannah felt like cursed ground, useless and barren. Her rival taunted her, further confirming her degraded status. Notice that Hannah had done nothing wrong, yet others believed she deserved shame.
Hannah knew that only God could remove her shame. Her response to feeling shame was completely different from that of Cain. Instead of pulling away from God, Hannah went to Him with increasingly bold faith. She poured out her bitterness before Him and begged Him for a son.
Eli the priest initially misinterpreted her desperate posture (v. 14), but Hannah humbly shared her heartache with him too. As God’s representative, Eli blessed Hannah and prayed for her.
Assured that she had found favor with God, Hannah felt her shame lift. She could eat. She could smile. Her honor was in His hands. In a few days, we’ll see even more of how God worked in Hannah’s life.
APPLY THE WORD
Shame is a powerful internal voice. It can be tempting to think we must punish ourselves for these shameful feelings. Instead, like Hannah, we can take our shame before God. When you cry out to Him, He will uphold your honor and redefine your life from shame to praise.
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