When I first read through 1 Samuel 1, I almost see Hannah as this "weak in other's eyes" woman who weeps and refuses to eat because she has no child to give to her husband. Her soft prayers at the temple doors suggest a deeply burdened woman that even a priest thinks might be drunk due to the muffled groans that come from her despair. But then I look closer at her vow, made to the God of the armies of heaven and earth=Jehovah Sabaoth. Not El Shaddai (the all-sufficient One), or El Roi (the God who sees), but the God who controls the armies of earth and heaven; the God of the war.
Perhaps this prayer of Hannah's wasn't a soft prayer at all. When you call out to the God of warfare, do you speak into a soft place? Do you quietly beg for mercy to endure? I mean, aren't you tired of praying THAT prayer? Even if only your lips are moving on the outside, isn't there a scream inside that wants it all to stop?
I look deeper and notice that the words before her prayer are descriptive words that begin with Peninnah, her rival. That's a war word. Hannah was provoked bitterly by Elkanah's other wife, who irritated her year after year. (I've known women like this, and believe me when I say that I, too, was looking for a sword-wielding Savior!).
I get that some may take their weeping heart to Jehovah Shalom (the God of peace) in those moments of angst. And some will whisper words to Jehovah-jireh (the God who provides). But Hannah didn't use either of these names. Instead, she went to the LORD of hosts, because this was a war, and deep in her soul she knew it. Hannah said, Look at my affliction. I found that this word actually means "a state of oppression or extreme discomfort; often used with political, economical, and military oppression". That sure sounds "war-ish" to me! And Hannah used that word with two other words that I also believe are warrior-worthy: remember and don't forget. At first glance, I have to ask, Why would she use two words that seemingly mean the same thing? But then I learned that they really have different meanings. Using the literal translation of these words, I found that Hannah was asking God to hear her words and think about and make them known to His heart through a process (and not just a one-time moment). And "don't forget" actually sounded like this: Don't let a period of time soften Your memory. In other words, "Don't pass over this lightly. And please don't ask me to simply forgive, because this isn't simple to me. I'm in a battle, and I need Your sword for this I need You to fight for me!"
I just think there's so much more here than a woman wanting a child. I think this soft-spoken, unassuming second wife who lived through the darkest period of Israel's idolatry was heard for her soul-pouring prayer of tenacious, hard-core faith. I don't think she was trying to win a bet, or even get her name in the Bible as the mother of Samuel the prophet. I think she was a woman who was oppressed in spirit who wanted to praise the One who defends those whose strength is feeble, and the One who keeps the feet of His godly ones. I think Hannah knew that God would see her, give her peace, be sufficient, and provide. But she also knew that Jehovah Sabaoth wins, because He is the God over all the armies of heaven and earth, and she needed Him to be the God over her war.
