She Opened Her Heart to God in Prayer

 HANNAH busied herself with preparations for the trip, trying to keep her mind occupied.  It should have been a happy time; Elkanah, her husband, customarily took the whole family on these annual journeys to worshp at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Jehovah meant for such occasions to be joyful.  (Read Deuteronomy 16:15.) And no doubt Hannah, from her childhood on, had delighted in those festivals. But things had changed for her in recent years. 

She was blessed to have a husband who loved her.  However, Elkanah had another wife.  Her name was Peninnah, and she seemed intent on making Hannah's life miserable.  Peninnah had figured  out a way to make even these annual occasions a source of acute pain for Hannah. How?  More to the point, how did Hannah's faith in Jehovah help her to cope iwth what often seemed like an impossible situation?  If you face challenges that sap you of joy in life, you mauy find Hannah's story particulary moving.

Next time: She Opened Her Heart to God in Prayer - "Why Does Your Heart Feel Bad?" 

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