Rise Up! A Lesson On Character From Hannah

Our society has lost so many valuable character traits. I find that I am spending much time learning character traits in my adulthood, that I wish I'd already mastered long before now. I can choose to live life never learning them because I'm an adult now and it's too late, or I can purpose to have a better quality life by learning these things now and sharing it with my children and others. While studying the story on Hannah from I Samuel chapter one, I learned a step of character from her that I see greatly lacking in this generation!

As we know, Hannah was one of the wives of a man named Elkanah. She was loved and favored by him. He met her needs above and beyond what was required and apparently "spoiled" her. But all of his care was not a replacement for the children which God had kept from her. I Sam. 1:5 says, "but the Lord had shut up her womb."

Hannah was mocked and scorned and provoked by Elkanah's other wife, Peninah. Verse 6 says "her adversary provoked her sore, for to make her fret" This situation became worse with every passing year that Hannah was barren. I imagine that Hannah loved her husband very much and so wished that they could be blessed with a child. Her heart hurt so much just for this reason alone, but with Peninah continually commenting and pestering, her problems deepened.

Who knows how long Hannah was barren. It could have been quite some time that she was depressed. We know that it was years that this went on from verse 7. Hannah began to lose her appetite because she had become so depressed.

She probably began to fade and weaken visibly. Maybe she put off her other daily household duties. It began to affect her marriage as she wasn't the same lovely Hannah that she used to be. Her husband doubtless watched this progression with much disappointment. He began to be irritated watching his wife wallow in depression. He finally had a talk with her.

It was probably much like a talk that my husband had with me recently concerning my health. I had not been taking care of my health. It began to affect every other area of my life. He plead with me to change my ways for the sake of those whom I love! At that point, I had to be the one making that change. I chose to do exactly what Hannah did.

In verse 9 we read, "So Hannah rose up". Those two words say so much more than she just got up. It was at this point that she went to the temple to pray and make her well known vow to give her child to God if he would grant her a son. Hannah was done with sitting and wallowing in her depression. She purposed to do something, to change things.

When Hannah "rose up" she decided to make herself responsible for the change that must be made in her life. The only way she knew to solve her problem was to take it to Almighty God. Yes Elkanah could have gone to God for her, or she could have asked Eli to petition God for her sake. But Hannah took it upon herself.

There are so many areas in which we can rise up as Hannah did.

* Rise up to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
* Rise up to the daily tasks in our everyday lives.
* Rise up to the needs of others around us.
* Rise up to the souls to be won to Jesus.
* Rise up to the material needs of our church.
* Rise up to the needs in areas of service.

Being married to a Pastor, I see how much we are always asking for help from our church people. No doubt, we are not the only ones constantly asking others to help with this and help with that. Why is that? Our generation has not been taught to rise up. If God's work is going to get done, someone must rise up to the task. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we would ALL rise up!

We are living a very low quality life and not accomplishing anything for God because we have not learned this valuable character lesson. Let's decide to stop doing nothing. Rise up.