A Woman with an Affliction
1 Samuel 1:1–11
It could be said that we all have an Achilles’ heel—a tender place where life can wound us deeply. Yet some afflictions reach beyond one weakness. They weigh upon the heart, drain our strength, and leave us with little desire to do anything but weep.
For Hannah, the family’s yearly journey to worship the Lord at Shiloh should have been a time of thanksgiving and celebration. Instead, it brought her sorrow painfully to the surface. She longed for a child, but year after year her arms remained empty.
Her husband, Elkanah, loved her dearly. Yet even the love of a devoted husband could not remove the ache within her heart. Seeing her tears and her refusal to eat, he asked:
“Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?”
1 Samuel 1:8
His words expressed his love, but they could not answer her longing. Hannah was not ungrateful for her husband; she was grieving something his affection could not supply. We must remember that a person can be deeply loved and still be deeply troubled.
To make matters worse, Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, provoked her because she had no children. Rather than showing compassion, she pressed upon the very place where Hannah was already hurting.
This happened year after year. Even during their journey to worship, Hannah faced words that stirred up her sorrow until she wept and could not eat.
There is an old saying: “Do not kick someone when they are down.” A mother once said this to her son concerning his brother. The boy replied, “When is he going to be up, then, so I can have a go at him?”
We may smile at the reply, but it reveals an attitude we must guard against: waiting for an opportunity to settle a score rather than seeking an opportunity to show kindness. Another person’s weakness should call forth our compassion, never our cruelty.
Hannah could not change Peninnah’s heart, and she could not make her own sorrow disappear. But she could bring her burden before the Lord.
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.”
1 Samuel 1:10
Her tears became part of her prayer. When words were difficult, she poured out her heart before God.
Hannah’s story teaches us two lessons: be gentle with those whose burdens you do not fully understand, and bring your own afflictions honestly before the Lord.
We cannot promise that every sorrow will be answered in the same way Hannah’s was. But we can learn from her faith. She brought her deepest longing to God.
When someone is already bowed down, do not add to their burden. Speak kindly, pray faithfully, and help them find strength to turn to the Lord.
Redone for Georges Web Ministries
9th October 2026
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