Hannah | 1 Samuel 1: 1-20

We encounter Hannah's story in 1 Samuel as an intimate portrait of what it means to be 'the misery of one.' This message confronts us with a challenging truth: before we can experience healing, we must feel our pain. Hannah is introduced not by what she has, but by what she lacks—she is barrenness personified. Yet her greatness lies not in miraculous accomplishments or public ministry, but in one profound act: she prays her misery. The text reveals that prayer is simply faith in verbal form, a pouring out of every drop of our anxiety, grief, and vexation at God's feet. What's remarkable is that Hannah finds peace before her prayer is answered—her face changes, she can eat again, she re-enters life. This teaches us that praying our misery connects us intimately with the name of God, allowing us to see the contours of His character and hear His peace even while we wait. We're reminded that God doesn't love the collective while hating individuals; He left the ninety-nine for the one. When we're drowning in relational wounds, bad circumstances, or toxic ideologies that tell us God doesn't love us, we're invited to do what Hannah did: feel it fully, identify its source, and then pray it all—every messy, desperate bit—to the One who specializes in giving life to the barren.