The Lord Who Hears

1 Samuel 1:1–20

By Pastor John Thompson

Over my 20 years in ministry, I have walked alongside people through some incredibly difficult seasons. I have seen children lose parents, husbands lose wives, wives lose husbands, and parents lose children. Each situation is heartbreaking, and while those around them may never fully understand the depth of their grief, they at least recognize that grief is there.

There is another kind of loss, however, that people sometimes struggle to understand in the same way: the loss of a child during pregnancy.

I have seen people respond to that tragedy very differently. Sometimes well-meaning people say things like, “You can always try again.” But imagine saying something similar to someone who had just lost a spouse: “I’m sorry that happened, but you can always find someone else.” We immediately recognize how inadequate and hurtful those words would be.

There is a deep pain in losing a child during pregnancy, particularly for the mother who has carried that child within her. It is a grief that others may have difficulty comprehending.

Yet there is another kind of grief that may be understood even less: the inability to have a child when one is so deeply desired.

Few people understand the pain and suffering experienced by a woman who desperately longs for a child but is unable to conceive. Even those closest to her may struggle to comprehend the depth of that sorrow. She may try to explain her pain, yet still feel unheard and alone.

Maybe you have never experienced this particular kind of suffering, but most of us know something about feeling unheard. Perhaps you have walked through a season of grief, disappointment, loneliness, sickness, or some other difficulty and wondered whether anyone really understood what you were going through.

There is a truth we need to hold onto in those moments of deepest despair:

When it feels like no one hears you, God hears you. Therefore, you are not alone.

In 1 Samuel 1, we meet a woman named Hannah who knew what it was like to suffer deeply. She desperately wanted a child, but she was barren. Her suffering was made even worse by the people around her. Yet through Hannah’s story, we discover that even when the people closest to us do not understand our pain, there is a God who hears.

The Husband Who Thought He Wasn’t Enough

We might assume that in our darkest moments, the people closest to us would understand exactly what we are going through. Sometimes they do, but often they simply cannot.

That does not mean they do not love us.

In fact, sometimes their inability to understand comes precisely because they love us so deeply. They see us hurting and desperately want to take the pain away. They want to fix whatever is broken and make everything better again.

But some things cannot simply be fixed.

Elkanah clearly loved Hannah. When the family went to worship and sacrifice, he gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her. He saw her crying. He saw that she would not eat. He knew she was hurting.

The problem was that he did not know how to take the pain away.

Eventually, he asked, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Here is a little marital counseling: don't ask, “Am I not enough?” You may not like the answer!

Elkanah seems to have taken Hannah’s grief personally. He loved his wife, but he began to view her continued sadness as though it somehow reflected upon him. If he loved her enough and cared for her enough, shouldn’t that make her happy?

But Hannah’s grief was not about whether she loved her husband.

She was suffering.

This is something husbands and wives need to remember when walking through difficult seasons together. If your spouse is dealing with heartbreak, grief, or depression, do not believe the lie that you must be the solution. You are not their savior, and your inability to remove their suffering does not mean you have failed them.

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is simply be present.

Sit beside them. Listen to them. Pray for them. Love them faithfully without making their suffering about you.

And if you are the one suffering, remember that your spouse may not be able to fix what you are experiencing or even fully understand it. Recognize their efforts to love you. Invite them to pray with you. Together, look beyond yourselves to the One who can provide the healing and comfort neither of you can provide on your own.

Our spouses can walk beside us in suffering, but only Jesus can ultimately carry us through it.

The Priest Who Thought She Was Drunk

If the people closest to us sometimes misunderstand our suffering, those who do not know us well can misunderstand it even more.

That is exactly what happened to Hannah.

In her deep distress, Hannah went to the house of the Lord and prayed. Scripture tells us that she was “deeply distressed” and “wept bitterly.” As she prayed, her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard.

Eli the priest watched her and immediately reached the wrong conclusion.

He thought she was drunk.

Hannah was pouring out one of the deepest sorrows of her heart before God, and the priest watching her assumed the worst about her.

People still do this.

When we do not understand what someone else is experiencing, it is easy to make assumptions. We may think, “He is too sensitive,” or “She is being dramatic,” or “Everybody goes through difficult things; they just need to move on.”

The truth is, we usually have no idea what someone else is carrying.

Part of the problem is that we live in a culture that is strangely public and private at the same time. People share countless details about their lives through social media, yet the things they share are often carefully selected. We see vacations, celebrations, family pictures, meals, accomplishments, and smiling faces. We rarely see the private struggles behind them.

If we are not careful, we can begin believing that everyone else has a perfect life while we are the only ones struggling.

But everyone suffers.

That is one reason we do ourselves a disservice when we constantly hide our suffering, particularly within the local church. The church should be a place where we can admit when we are hurting. We should be able to share our burdens so that our brothers and sisters in Christ can pray for us and walk beside us.

At the same time, when we notice that someone seems to be struggling, we should resist the temptation to make assumptions.

Ask them how they are doing. Let them know you noticed something was wrong. Tell them you are praying for them. If they want to talk, be willing to listen without immediately trying to fix everything.

Be considerate of those who are suffering, because one day you may be the person who desperately needs someone else to show you that same compassion.

The God Who Heard Her and Remembered Her

Hannah’s husband loved her but could not understand her.

Eli saw her suffering but completely misunderstood it.

So Hannah took her pain to the One who could truly hear her.

She prayed.

Hannah did not hide the depth of her sorrow from God. She poured out her soul before the Lord. When Eli finally understood what was happening, he told her, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”

What happens next is remarkable because Hannah’s circumstances had not yet changed.

She was still childless.

She had not yet conceived Samuel. She had not yet received the thing she had been pleading with God to give her. Yet Scripture says, “Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

Something had changed before her circumstances changed.

Hannah knew she had been heard.

She had brought her sorrow before the Lord, and she trusted Him with what happened next. Her hope was no longer dependent upon the people around her understanding her pain. She had placed that pain before the God who understood it completely.

Then we read these beautiful words: “The LORD remembered her.”

This does not mean God had somehow forgotten Hannah and suddenly remembered that she existed. In Scripture, when God “remembers,” it points to His faithful action toward His people. God had heard Hannah, and in His timing, He acted.

Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel.

The Lord heard her.

Conclusion

I do not know what kind of suffering you may be carrying today.

Perhaps it is visible and everyone around you knows about it. Or perhaps it is something you have carried quietly for a long time. Maybe you have tried to explain it to those closest to you, but they do not seem to understand. Perhaps someone has even misunderstood your pain and judged you because of it.

You may feel unheard.

But you are not alone.

God hears you.

Pour out your heart before Him as Hannah did. You do not have to clean up your emotions before you pray. You do not have to pretend that everything is fine. Bring your sorrow, disappointment, questions, and tears before the Lord.

Then trust Him with what happens next.

Hannah's circumstances did not change immediately. She left that place before she had received the child she desired. Yet she was able to go, eat, and no longer wear the same sadness on her face because she knew that God had heard her.

God does not promise that every painful circumstance will end exactly as we desire. But He does promise His presence and faithfulness to His people.

So when it feels as though no one understands, remember the Lord who hears.

Pour out your heart to Him. Trust in His faithfulness. Rest in His promise that He will never leave you nor forsake you.

The pain may still be there, but you do not carry it alone.

The Lord hears you.