INSPIRATION: The Story of Hannah...

Last week at Bible Study I spoke to one of my ministers about my struggles Trying To Conceive and she prayed with me and recommended that I read and study 1 Samuel in the Bible that discusses the story of Hannah....

I wanted to share this story because it truly INSPIRED me and even though it may seem like there is no light at the end of our journey, if we keep on keeping on we will reach our goal of becoming a parent. It may not be how we planned it, but one way or another by faith we will get there...

Hannah, the Mother of the Prophet Samuel

Hannah was married to an Israelite man, a Levite named Elkanah. In those days God allowed men to have more than one wife and often there were bad feelings among the wives. This was the case in Elkanah's family. His other wife, Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. She was so sad and desperately wanted to have a child. She even refused to eat. Peninnah provoked and aggravated her all the time and made her life miserable.

Every year the family went to Shiloh to worship. Elkanah saw Hannah crying and refusing to eat and he spoke to her gently and tried to comfort her. Hannah got up and went to the tabernacle by herself to worship the Lord. She prayed and asked Him to give her a son. She said if He would give her this child she would make a vow to give him back to the Lord and no razor would ever cut his hair. This was called the Nazarite vow. Hannah was praying silently and her lips were moving, but no sound was coming from her mouth. Eli, the high priest and judge, when he saw her doing this, thought she had been drinking alchohol and was drunk. He confronted her about it and told her to put away the wine. She told him she was not drunk, but was sorrowful and pouring out her heart to the Lord. After she told him her story he understood what was happening. He told her to go in peace because the Lord was going to answer her prayer and give her a child.

Hannah believed the words of the priest Eli. She was a changed person. No longer was she sad. She was a happy, joyful person because she knew in her heart that she would have a son just as the priest had said. She began to eat her meals. If Peninnah taunted her or made fun of her it made no difference because she knew she also would soon be a mother.
The family returned to their home in Ramah and in time Hannah did have a baby boy. She named him Samuel, a word which means "heard by God". God had heard her prayer and answered it.

When it came time for the family to go to Shiloh the next year to worship, Hannah stayed home with her young son. She said, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever." Later when Samuel was a little older his mother took him with her to worship. She also took sacrifices to offer. When she saw Eli she told him she was the woman who had prayed there earlier. She left Samuel at the tabernacle to be raised by Eli the priest. Samuel would be dedicated to the Lord all his life. She kept her promise to return him to Shiloh to serve the Lord.

While Samuel was in Shiloh ministering to the Lord Hannah did not forget about her child. Oh no, he was on her mind all the time, and every year as he grew taller and taller she came back and brought him a robe that would be just the right size for him. God also blessed her with MORE children. She and Elkanah had three more sons and two daughters.

Hannah's PRAYER

What we Learn from Hannah

We learn from Hannah the value of persistence in prayer. Hannah did not give up. She continued to pray. God will not withhold anything which would be good for us. Sometimes we cannot determine what would be best for us, but God knows. Jesus said if a child asks a father for bread he will not be given a stone, and if he asks for fish he will not be given a snake. God is our father and He will give good things to those who ask Him.

We also see the dedication and unselfishness of Hannah when she returned her young son to the service of God. We must be generous with the things God gives us and willing to share with others and let those things be used for God's glory.

The Biblical Aspects of Surrogacy

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. Psalms 113:9


The ideology and practice of Surrogacy is not something new. Surrogacy dates back to ancient Biblical times. Today parents who desire a child but for whatever reason can't carry a pregnancy to term have the option of using a Gestational Carrier/Surrogate. In Gestational Surrogacy the eggs from another woman, the Intended Mother are implanted in the Surrogate along with the Intended Father's sperm. Gestational Surrogacy requires the use of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) but it gives couples the opportunity to both have a genetic link to their child. Of course during Biblical times and before God gave man the know how to invent IVF Traditional Surrogacy was the norm and the Surrogate would use her own eggs in conjunction with the sperm of the Intended Father.

One of the oldest examples of Surrogacy in the Bible can be seen in the book of Genisis with Abraham, who fathered a child by the servant woman Hagar. Genesis 16 talks about how it was his wife Sarah's idea because she was not able to bear children, and quotes her as telling Abraham “And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” (Gen 16:2, KJV). Of course we know the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar was not without trials and tribulations. Sarah became jealous of Hagar and Hagar did not want to give baby Ishmael to Sarah to raise with Abraham. Ironically these are some of the issues seen in Traditional surrogacy today.

Another example of Surrogacy in the Bible comes from Jacob and his wives Rachel and Leah. After Leah had given birth to four sons, Rachel remained barren. She became jealous of Leah and gave Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah, to be a surrogate mother for her. "she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her." (Gen 30:3, KJV)Bilhah gave birth to two sons: Dan and Naphtali. Of course we know that story had its trials and tribulations also.

Another Biblical precedent for Surrogacy can be seen where Mosaic Law provided for levirate marriage, where a man would impregnate his dead brother’s widow and bear children on his behalf (Deuteronomy 25:5 ff.; prefigured in Genesis 38, and God punished Onan for his refusal to do so; valid in Christ’s day (Mark 12:19)). Ruth was a surrogate mother for Naomi in a sense, because Ruth gave birth to Obed (fathered by Ruth’s husband Boaz) who was called ‘a son born to Naomi’.

The most magnificent example of Surrogacy in the Bible, and one that did turn out well, is Jesus Christ. The gospel tells us that Jesus was born of a virgin, fathered by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-35). That scenario clearly puts Mary in the role of being a surrogate mother for Jesus.

The struggle for many Christian couples who are infertile is what does God's Laws say about reproductive technology and Surrogacy? Many pastors are against Traditional Surrogacy because they consider it adulterous. However, Modern or Gestational Surrogacy would not be adulterous for Biblical purposes because the intention of the infertile couple would be to use their own egg and sperm and the Surrogate would just be the carrier.