This subject has been on my heart for the past year and a half. It’s not fun to talk about, and for those who understand they know it stings. I don’t feel it should be a subject needed to be discussed, but here we are.
I want to draw attention to the source that is the main focus of this blog, the scripture.
In 1 Samuel 1 we find a pretty familiar passage for those who have grown up in church or around it. It’s the story of Elkanah and his wives, Peninnah and Hannah. We know from reading that Peninnah gave Elkanah “sons and daughters” (1 Samuel 1:4). But Hannah found herself with an empty womb.
Hannah was hurt and broken, knowing she couldn’t bare, and even more so having to watch Peninnah not only have one but “sons and daughters”. To those who know that pain, it is one of longing. The scripture says that Hannah wept countless tears even causing her husband, Elkinah, to question her and why his love wasn’t enough to satisfy her (1 Samuel 1:8).
In verse (9) we can see Hannah crying out to God for a child of her own. With sincerity in her heart, she vowed to give that child back to God, if only He would give it to her.
In verse (12) and on is where my attention is caught… verse (12) says that while Hannah was praying the man of God, Eli, “marked her mouth”. Leading into verse (13) “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. (14) And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.”
To be so devastated that no words could come from your mouth… that’s real pain. I know what it feels like to cry so hard that it begins to hurt and you can no longer take a breath; to find yourself in a position where the only words that fall from your mouth are “oh God, help me”. To those who have experienced that pain, it’s not forgotten. Hannah was feeling hurt, to the point she couldn’t speak. Amidst her faithfulness to her husband and her church, she found herself in a situation she couldn’t control. I want to draw emphasis to the phrase “but her voice was not heard” and because he couldn’t hear her voice, Eli thought she was drunk with wine. She had no voice, at a time she needed it the most. Her voice was silenced, and there was no one to understand the pain she was feeling. No one there by her side to speak for her.
In verse (15), “And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.”
I also want to look at 2 Samuel 13:16 for another reference. Some know the story of Tamar. She was forced to lie with her brother, Amnon, then after the sin was finished, he cast her out from his presence and it even says he “bolted the door after her”. In verse (16) we see Tamar crying to him for help, and then she makes a statement, “and she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.”
Tamar was found faithful to her church and to her king, and yet the hurt she endured caused her to lose her voice. Those who should’ve helped her wouldn’t help her, they hindered her, and that hurt took her voice away. She not only was refused but cast out. The statement was made that the sin of casting her out was greater than the sin of the actual deed. Verse (19) says, “And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying”.
So what happens when we find ourselves faithful in our services to God, but in situations we can’t control? You’ve stayed true to your parents, you’ve stayed faithful to the church, and you’ve stayed sincere in your relationships with others… yet you find yourself left with no voice. In a moment you need help the most, those you look up to and those you deem true, turn their backs on the character they know is you. There are many situations that could be used as examples, and either you or someone you know can fill in the blank with situation after situation. The statements are made, “well I don’t want my name associated with that situation”, or “I’ll pray for the situation to be fixed”, but that person is left silently struggling through an unknown situation with no encouragement.
God gave man free will to do as he pleases. Yes, God can restore what was broken and bring it back to life, but if the human heart doesn’t have the desire to restore it, then the other person is left confused, heart broken, empty, silent, and helpless in a situation they couldn’t control. Sadly, sometimes they’re left reaching out to leadership for encouragement and guidance, and those they reach out to refuse to offer any because of the circumstance. God knows the heart of every man and one day the account will be given for who was sincere and who was not, but when a troubled soul comes to you crying for help and that help is refused, would you blame the person if they lost all faith in what they thought was once believed? Not the person of God, but the people of God. That person is left silent having lost their voice, with no guidance and encouragement in a situation that wasn’t their fault.
No one could hear Hannah’s voice, but God did! She was misunderstood, hindered, harassed and hurt, but in spite of all that she endured she stayed faithful. Hannah’s life spoke through the testimony she held through Samuel… Samuel’s name means “asked of the Lord”. God used Hannah to bring back the glory to Israel through Samuel. You can see God reassuring Himself through the life of Samuel, saying, “Though no one else heard you Hannah, I heard you!”, “Though others took away your voice Tamar, I will give it back to you tenfold through the fruit you bear!”. Because of your faithfulness, God will bring to life your voice through the fruit you bear and through the testimony you hold accountable to!
In the middle of those long days and lonely nights, when you’re left alone, feeling as though no one hears you, struggling to grasp your reality, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother when man surely fail. He hears your voice, when no one does! He understands your cry when others mistake it. So may we as Christians love and encourage the one closest to giving up… it will be WELL and God can and will use others’ mistakes that affect your life, for His glory and your good!! You may be as Hannah, whose voice could not be heard because of her sorrow; or as Tamar whose voice wouldn’t be heard by those who abandoned and betrayed her. You’re family has let you down; church leadership has let you down; your friends have let you down… but God will use your voice to be louder than any others and to impact more than any other could!
In situations where you feel your impact has been taken, it’s in those moments that God may be preparing you for a glorious revealing, as he did for Hannah through Samuel. Her heart was proven to be true by the Lord Himself. Stay faithful friend! You may be used to help those exact ones who misunderstood and hurt you! God is faithful and sovereign, and is capable of giving you strength, peace, and a VOICE in times and in ways you least expect it!
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