1 Sam 1:16
" Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now"
What stood out for me were the words "abundance of my complaint".
Have you heard the saying that when it rains it pours? Sometimes when trouble comes, it comes in abundance and complaints are a natural consequence of it.
The word "abundance" here means "multitude" or "much". It also means something which is common to men.
The word "complaint" means "an utterance", "babbling", "talk" or "meditation". Thus to complain does not only involve speaking out our problems but also constantly meditating or thinking about it.
Troubles and complaints can certainly come in abundance. For Hannah, it was not just a case of barrenness but it was also what Peninah said to her as a result of her barrenness. Relationship with Peninah was affected. Her relationship with Elkanah was affected. Her health was also affected.
She could not eat, she could not sleep and she was miserable and depressed. We were not told for how long but if they went up to Shiloh once a year than her complaints must have been churning and churning in her for one year or more!
Hannah described her condition well when she spoke her heart to Eli. She was pouring out the abundance of her complaints to Eli.
Complaints were turned into prayer from her heart. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
1 Sam 1:13
"Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk"
Eli rebuked her in verse 14 but in verse 15 she said:
"But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before God
In this wonderful story of Hannah's prayers, I learnt some precious lessons:
1. Identify the source of our complaint
A person is always the source of our complaint. In Hannah's case it was the other woman. However in 1 Sam 2, she did not identify her by name.
Hannah mentioned the source of her complaint in verse 10 as "The adversaries of the Lord..."
It would appear that the person who has caused her so much heartache was motivated by the enemy/adversary and Hannah acknowledged that this was a spiritual battle.
She proclaimed God's word that only He has helped her against her adversary:
2 Sam 2:10
"The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He shall thunder against them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed
2. It is ok to complaint
Hannah had a genuine grievance. Eli's first wife Peninah had children but Hannah had none. Peninah made life miserable for her by provoking her severely, to make her miserable because the Lord closed her womb.
It is certainly not wicked to complain. When undergoing trials or conflicts with others, we do need an outlet to pour out our grievances. Hannah was doing just that but she did not gossip.
What did Peninah do to Hannah that made Hannah so miserable? In fact 1 Sam 1:7 said that she was provoked so much that she wept and did not eat. It affected Hannah so much.
The word 'provoke' here means to agitate or to make trouble. I believe that Peninah said a lot of hurtful things to make Hannah upset.
2 Sam 2:3 gave us some idea of what Peninah did to her:
"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed'
Peninah was spewing out arrogant words. The words must have been so cutting that Hannah refused to eat. Hannah wept before her husband and later at Shiloh, she wept in anguish before God.
1 Sam 1:10
"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish"
How many of us have been hurt by words spoken against us by loved ones or family members?
How many of us have been provoked by the criticisms of others that have led us into major depression? How many of us have experienced a downward spiral just by hearing gossip about us from others?
The tendency to complain against these persons is tempting. The good news is that it is ok to complain but let us bring our complaints to those who understand and love us like Hannah who first shared her complaint with Eli. Later Hannah brought her complaint to God. Hannah sought God's help to turn things around for her.
3. Turn our complaint into a prayer
Hannah turned her complaint into a prayer.
In 1 Sam 1:10 she prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. In verse 11, she asked the Lord to look on her affliction and remember her. She made a vow to God that if God were to give her a son, she would lend Samuel to God all the days of his life to serve God.
At times you may be led to offer something to God as a promise to answered prayers but I do not think that we need to do this all the time. God loves us and whether we offer Him something or not, I believe that He will still answer our prayers especially prayers offered from a pure and sincere heart, a heart that is so broken and humble that acknowledges God as our only help and savior.
4. Find someone to share your complaint with/pray with you
Eli was not exactly a godly priest but he could certainly discern when prayers were offered from a heart of sincerity and fervency. In fact he did not even asked Hannah her prayer request.
He said to her in verse 17:
"Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him"
5. Receive by faith the answers to your prayer
Hannah looked to Eli as God as Eli was the resident priest. During those days the priest were so highly respected that their words were like words from God. What he spoke encouraged Hannah so much and stirred up her faith to believe that God has heard her prayers.
Hannah believed his words that God would grant her petition that she went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad.
1 Sam 1:18
"And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad"
We read in verse 20 that God heard Hannah's prayer and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying "Because I have asked for him from the Lord"
Thus do not be afraid to share your complaints with your leaders as they care for you and will pray for you and with you.
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