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“God has forgotten me.” -Maria
“God remembers me.” -Hannah (read 1 Samuel 1:1–2:11)
Maria fights back tears and forces a smile as her friend announces, “I’m engaged!” She thinks of the row of oddly colored bridesmaid dresses hanging in her closet and wonders if she’ll have room for another. “I’d much rather put a husband’s clothes in that spot, Lord,” she silently protests. “Why are You answering everyone’s prayers but mine? Have You forgotten me? I must have done something to upset You or I’d be married by now.”
Scenarios like this one have been repeated throughout human history. Our hearts have an unmet desire like being married, having a baby, getting a promotion, or another dream. Then we watch as God says yes to those around us but seems to overlook what we want.
Hannah knew that kind of pain intimately. She longed for children, and yet her arms remained empty. In her culture, not having children was a source of deep shame, and barrenness was seen as divine punishment. Society (not God) even allowed a husband to take a second wife in order to produce children. It appears that’s what happened in Hannah’s case.
“Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat” (1 Sam. 1:6). Hannah arrived at the temple so distraught that Eli the priest assumed she must be drunk. When she explained the true source of her distress, he encouraged her and prayed for God to grant her request. She became pregnant soon after and the child grew up to be Samuel, one of the greatest prophets to ever serve Israel.
Scripture says about Hannah, “The Lord remembered her” (1 Sam. 1:19). At first I was taken aback by those words. Surely God hadn’t ever forgotten Hannah or her request! When I looked deeper into the Hebrew meaning of the word, I discovered it more specifically means looking on someone with kindness and granting a request. We can feel forgotten too when it seems God isn’t answering our prayers. But God is always aware of every detail of our lives.
We have not been forgotten. God isn’t ignoring our needs or waiting for us to be perfect before He answers our prayers. Instead He’s working out His plans for us long before we ever catch a glimpse of what He’s doing.
“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). That kind of soul-sustaining belief comes not from what we’re hoping for but from Who we’re placing our hope in. Our God is good and He loves us. Even when we can’t see His hands, we can still trust His heart.
XOXO,
Holley
P.S. This post is an excerpt from my new devotional, Do You Know You’re Already Amazing?. Inside the devotional are thirty truths from God’s Word, and each one will help set your heart free to become all God created you to be. If you’re looking for practical application, personal transformation, and encouragement along the way — this book is for you, friend.
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Every week I host a blog link-up called Coffee for Your Heart. You can add your post below!
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