Editor’s Note
Is this a safe space? Because Bible study almost didn’t see me this week.
Daylight Saving Time had completely drained my energy. All I could think about was a nap. Honestly, the couch was calling my name. But… I pushed through.
Took a quick 15-minute nap, threw dinner in the crockpot, and headed out the door—with the sunroof open, because somehow it was an oddly perfect 70 degrees in Michigan. You take those moments when you can get them.
This week’s Bible study focused on Hannah. At face value, her story seemed to be about not being a mother. But as we got deeper into it, it became clear… her story was about so much more than that.
Hannah – The Woman Who Shifted Her Focus
If Hannah were here, she’d get us on many levels.
She knows what it feels like to want something deeply and to sometimes feel invisible in the process.
Hannah’s story in the Book of 1 Samuel starts with longing — the kind that feels heavy in your chest. So heavy, she was angered. Bitter, even. To add salt to injury…. her husband’s second wife (yes, you read that right) had what she wanted and began to provoke her – year after year.
This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
1 Samuel 1:7 NIV
Soo… not only is Hannah not getting what she’s been praying for… she also has to watch someone else get it — up close, in her face — and have the audacity to flaunt it.
Ouch.
Imagine, someone you know… a close acquaintance getting the job or car you wanted and throwing it in your face chance they had. How would you feel?
That had our girl Hannah crying nonstop and not even touching her food — and all the while, the Bible says her husband would be giving her double portions.
Until, one day (after her husband checked her) she prayed. She poured her heart out to God in a way that demanded attention, not in a loud, showy way, but in raw, intimate way.
THE MESSAGE
So, I ask What are you giving power to?
Because when you’re waiting, it’s way too easy to focus on what’s missing. The promotion that hasn’t come. The relationship that’s still a maybe. The doors that stay shut. Give that lack too much energy, and it only gets louder in your life.
That’s your cue to hit pause and shift your focus.
Lean into gratitude for what’s already here — the family, friends, small wins, the little things that often get overlooked. Even the ways God is moving behind the scenes, though you can’t see it yet.
And pay attention to your circle.
Hannah’s husband noticed how weighed down she was and spoke up (1 Samuel 1:8). Who’s around you? The people who will honestly check you, encourage you, and keep you grounded? Or the ones who just hype you up but never challenge you or help you reset?
Think about that for a minute.
Final Words
It’s so easy to get hung up on what’s not happening. To start comparing ourselves to what others have. To let envy or impatience steal our focus—and in the process, lose sight of God.
When you catch yourself flipping through what I like to call Comparison Magazine in your head, obsessing over what’s not yours yet…
Pause. Take a breath. And ask yourself:
- Am I giving my energy to scarcity or to gratitude?
- Can I actually celebrate what I do have right now—even while I’m still waiting for the rest.
Then lean into gratitude. Shift your focus. Trust that the promise is coming because God hears every prayer. And if it’s His will, it will happen.
Spoiler alert: Hannah prayed. God delivered. And if it’s His will, it will happen for you too. After years of waiting with a closed womb, God gave her a son—Samuel.
I highly suggest studying these stories for yourself. Pull out the lessons that speak to you personally.