And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken – 1st Samuel 1:12-13.

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah who was a priest, and the mother of Samuel. Her name in Hebrew means grace, but although grace was applied to her, she had an adversary by the name of Peninnah in Hebrew meaning coral indicating lofty, she was haughty, arrogant, and an agitator to Hannah. Grace and being blessed doesn’t mean we will be exempt from agitators, prosecutors, and issues that life brings.Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah was barren, but Peninnah was able to have children and she boasts of her capabilities. Hannah had issues, she couldn’t bear children, her husband had another wife who had children by her husband, the wife was an agitator, and she was considered cursed by her community because she couldn’t have children. Elkanah truly loved Hannah and when it was time to give, he gave Peninnah and her son’s portions, but Elkanah gave Hannah a worthy portion indicating he gave her a double portion. With him doing this he assumed she would be happy not understanding her feelings of not being able to have children. As they were going to the temple, Peninnah would provoke Hannah yearly as they went to the house of the Lord.

Hannah already had issues, then her husband begins to ask her why was she weeping, why wasn’t she eating informing her, he was better to her than having ten sons as though this should have sufficed her grieving. Being humble in spirit and in behavior, the Bible states after eating and drinking in Shiloh Eli the priest saw her praying and assumed she was drunk, now she has another issue the person who could pray for her assumes she drunk when she is in bitterness of heart and spirit. Hannah didn’t retaliate but she prayed, she’s an example of what we should do when people provoke us, rather than fighting back, pray, walk in the Fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. As we walk or live in the Spirit we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh meaning retaliating, giving them a peace of our mind, letting them know we don’t have to take this.

As Christians, life brings issues, Satan brings attacks, and God allows tests and tribulations whatever is going on in our life, we can place our confidence in God, tell Him our issues although He already knows, He wants to hear us pray and ask for His help. Rather than retaliating Hannah went to God in prayer ( And Hannah answered said, 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 – 1st Samuel 1:15). Through her longsuffering, her confidence in God and not allowing her issues to be her god or trying to defend herself and allowing God to be her judge and provider, God answered her prayer (And they rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her – 1st Samuel 1:19). “Remember” is indicating the Lord remembered her self-control, He remembered she didn’t blame God, she was manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit although she was being taunted, mistreated, overlooked, persecuted, brokenhearted, and He blessed her for her faithfulness to Him.

No matter what the issue maybe, if we live according to the Word of God, He will always hear our prayers and come to our rescue, we may not be relieved according to our specific prayer, but the prayer will be answered according to God’s will because our specific prayer may not be the way God wants to answer it. Trust God, live according to His written Word and you will have victory, God created us to have victory not defeat.