The Hannah Spirit, Part 1: The Altar of Return
I didn't fully understand why at the time. I just knew I couldn't seem to get away from those books. There was something in them that kept pulling me back.
The prayers.
The battles.
The grief.
The anointing.
The rejection.
The worship.
The rise and fall of men.
The faithfulness of God in the middle of deeply human stories.
Then, in November of '25, as I was walking through the anniversary of Levi’s passing, the Lord brought me back there again. In fact, everything that I did that day... (sermons watched, things I read, etc) they ALL had to do with Hannah.
And this time.....He impressed something very specific upon my heart.
I have a Hannah spirit.
At first, I thought of Hannah the way many of us do...the barren woman who prayed for a child and wept before the Lord until He answered her.
And yes, that IS part of her story and we can't ignore it. Her barrenness, aching, and longing mattered.
But Hannah isn't only a story about barrenness.
And barrenness isn't always about a physical womb. I knew that, but it didn't really hit home until later.
Sometimes barrenness is spiritual. Sometimes it's emotional. Sometimes it's a place in your life where you KNOW God has put something in you, but it hasn't come forth yet. It's a calling that feels delayed, a promise that seems silent, a prayer that hasn't shown fruit. It's a burden that you carry but can't fully explain. It's a place that feels closed, empty, unproductive, or misunderstood.
But even THAT.....is only one piece of Hannah.
Hannah wasn't merely a woman who lacked something.
She was a woman who knew where to bring what she carried.
She was a woman of prayer.
Then, in November of '25, as I was walking through the anniversary of Levi’s passing, the Lord brought me back there again. In fact, everything that I did that day... (sermons watched, things I read, etc) they ALL had to do with Hannah.
And this time.....He impressed something very specific upon my heart.
I have a Hannah spirit.
At first, I thought of Hannah the way many of us do...the barren woman who prayed for a child and wept before the Lord until He answered her.
And yes, that IS part of her story and we can't ignore it. Her barrenness, aching, and longing mattered.
But Hannah isn't only a story about barrenness.
And barrenness isn't always about a physical womb. I knew that, but it didn't really hit home until later.
Sometimes barrenness is spiritual. Sometimes it's emotional. Sometimes it's a place in your life where you KNOW God has put something in you, but it hasn't come forth yet. It's a calling that feels delayed, a promise that seems silent, a prayer that hasn't shown fruit. It's a burden that you carry but can't fully explain. It's a place that feels closed, empty, unproductive, or misunderstood.
But even THAT.....is only one piece of Hannah.
Hannah wasn't merely a woman who lacked something.
She was a woman who knew where to bring what she carried.
She was a woman of prayer.
A woman of restraint.
A woman of surrender.
A woman who was provoked but not poisoned.
A woman who was misunderstood but didn't abandon the altar.
A woman who poured out her soul before the Lord when nobody else could truly see the depth of what was happening inside her.
AND...she was also a woman who could receive from God without making the gift an idol.
Hannah asked God for a son, but before she ever held him, she surrendered him. Her desire was real, but it wasn't selfish. Her longing became consecrated, and her prayer became a vow, and then her answer became an offering.
And after all of that......Hannah worshiped.
Her song in 1 Samuel 2 isn't the song of a weak woman. It's the song of a woman who has seen the Lord turn things. It is bold and prophetic. It's full of confidence in the God who humbles and exalts, who fills the hungry and lifts the lowly, who sees what others overlook.
Hannah was a woman who carried and prayed deeply.
A woman who could grieve and still worship.
A woman who could be misunderstood and still remain faithful.
A woman who could feel empty in one area and still be full of faith.
A woman who didn't just want God to answer her, but wanted what He gave to belong to Him.
I felt to start a series on what I have learned about Hannah through this study. I want to slow down and walk through Hannah’s story with reverence. I don't want to talk about just what happened to her, but I also want to recognize what God formed in her.
Because Hannah was more than barren.
She was consecrated, prayerful, surrendered, and steadfast.
She was prophetic in her worship.
And maybe, for some of us, her story gives language to things we've carried for a long time but could never quite explain.
So we are going to dig into Hannah.
Not as one small story tucked into the beginning of Samuel, but as a woman whose life still speaks.
AND...she was also a woman who could receive from God without making the gift an idol.
Hannah asked God for a son, but before she ever held him, she surrendered him. Her desire was real, but it wasn't selfish. Her longing became consecrated, and her prayer became a vow, and then her answer became an offering.
And after all of that......Hannah worshiped.
Her song in 1 Samuel 2 isn't the song of a weak woman. It's the song of a woman who has seen the Lord turn things. It is bold and prophetic. It's full of confidence in the God who humbles and exalts, who fills the hungry and lifts the lowly, who sees what others overlook.
Hannah was a woman who carried and prayed deeply.
A woman who could grieve and still worship.
A woman who could be misunderstood and still remain faithful.
A woman who could feel empty in one area and still be full of faith.
A woman who didn't just want God to answer her, but wanted what He gave to belong to Him.
I felt to start a series on what I have learned about Hannah through this study. I want to slow down and walk through Hannah’s story with reverence. I don't want to talk about just what happened to her, but I also want to recognize what God formed in her.
Because Hannah was more than barren.
She was consecrated, prayerful, surrendered, and steadfast.
She was prophetic in her worship.
And maybe, for some of us, her story gives language to things we've carried for a long time but could never quite explain.
So we are going to dig into Hannah.
Not as one small story tucked into the beginning of Samuel, but as a woman whose life still speaks.
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