Note: On Tuesdays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
We all have moments where we feel “less than”: less than a family member, a friend, a colleague, maybe even an enemy. Often, we’re wrong, and recover our equilibrium after we stop think about our emotion… or maybe we pray, or maybe we come up with a juicy rationalization to power us past our 
feelings of inadequacy.
But in Hannah’s case, she didn’t just feel less than. While her husband loved her very much and was kind to her, his other wife was not. The other wife, it seems, delighted in provoking Hannah, taunting Hannah about Hannah’s barrenness and the other woman’s fruitfulness.
We meet Hannah today after one such difficult encounters during the family’s annual pilgrimage. She went to the temple to pray—and to offer a bargain. If the Lord were to give her a son, she would turn him over to the Lord. It’s easy to imagine the depth of her pain and sorrow, especially in that moment. She had just left a dinner where she had had to smile and seem happy, even though it likely had followed one of those taunting sessions by the other wife. Only God could understand her situation—and, she knew, only God could change it.
And change it, He would—with the birth of Samuel.
We live in a time where we can so easily share our sorrows with the world so easily, and look for those supportive (and okay, yes, sometimes taunting) comments and emoticons. Those interactions can help us with a reset or affirm our less-than-ness for a moment. But no one else can understand our situation—and only God can change it. Hannah’s story is a good reminder that the Great Healer isn’t found on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. He wants to hear it all, and no often how often He hears it, He listens… and offers comfort.
