The book of 1 Samuel begins with a distressed woman named Hannah (whose name meant “grace”), a woman who in God’s providence would become the mother of the king-maker. The text tells us that she had not been able to have children and to make things worse, the other wife of her husband constantly harassed her. (Sounds like a classic telenovela) Her rival emotionally and psychologically afflicted her in such a way that she wouldn’t eat, she wept continuously, and was troubled in her spirit (1:6-16). This led to severe anxiety. But in the midst of this horrible situation, Hannah was bold enough to believe that God would hear and answer her prayer for a son. She prayed to “Yahweh of hosts,” a title for the Lord which referenced the armies of God and their infinite resources and power (1:11). And Yahweh heard her cry and provided her a son whom she called Samuel, a name that means “heard of God.”
The second chapter of 1 Samuel records Hannah’s prayer (2:1-10), which reflects her confident trust in the God Who controls and judges the whole world. She no longer had to be controlled by anxiety. Instead, she could live with an unshakeable assurance in Yahweh the Rock. He is the One Who has no place for the proud and arrogant. He’s the One Who can change a person’s status in life in an instant. He is the One Who has set the social and moral order of society and Who ultimately would anoint His “anointed” (Messiah).
The text says that Samuel “grew in the presence of Yahweh” (2:21) and that he “continued to grow both in stature and in favor with Yahweh and man” (2:26). He stood in contrast to the wicked, self-serving priests he apprenticed under. We are reminded of the current state of our world as we read of Samuel’s culture: “The word of Yahweh was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (3:1).
Samuel would soon be used to change that reality as he was called by God to be His mouthpiece.
Israel soon suffered a defeat by the Philistines, who captured the ark of the covenant for seven months. The people of Israel naively thought that just the presence of the ark would ensure their deliverance, but Yahweh had removed His presence: “The glory has departed” (4:21). The Philistines took the ark as a trophy and placed it in their temple to Dagon. But Yahweh intervened by causing the statue of Dagon to topple over and by inflicting the Philistines with tumors: “The hand of Yahweh was heavy against [them]” (5:9).
These enemies of God eventually sent the ark back, thus signifying the start of the repentance process for the people of Israel (chapter 6). In a defining moment, Samuel summoned the entire nation together and exhorted them to turn back to Yahweh “with all [their] heart,” to turn away from their false gods of fertility and harvest, and to “direct [their] heart to the Lord and serve him only” (7:3). And miraculously, the people did repent and served Yahweh with a singular focus. This would set the stage for the new monarchy.
Hannah’s situation reminds us of the reality of anxiety and emotional trauma. In her case, it was triggered by her barrenness and the constant harassment of her rival. So often in the business community, we are encouraged to just “suck it up” or “deal with it” when we experience trials on the job or in our personal lives.
Thankfully, in recent years there has been a much-needed increase in mental health resources, concern for social-emotional wellbeing, and work-life balance initiatives. While we applaud these advances in corporate culture, we need to be discerning about the self-centered and godless nature of many such remedies. This is where wisdom is needed.
Our true emotional wellbeing isn’t the sum benefit of self-care and wise stress management, but rather an intentional, sustained resting in the LORD of hosts, the One Who has infinite power and resources to meet our every need, even the ones most deep within our souls. As a former professor of mine used to say, “It’s not the amount of our faith that matters—it’s the object of our faith.” Social-emotional well being measures and prayer aren’t mutually exclusive.
The problem comes when we merely rely on those measures, techniques, and strategies and fail to trust in the Lord. We need so much discernment to turn from any self-reliant means we have been employing to minimize our anxiety.
I want to highlight in a bit more detail the presence of God in Samuel’s life. Consider these verses once again: “Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD” (2:21); “Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man” (2:26); “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (3:19); “for he said, ‘Till now the LORD has helped us’” (7:12). Samuel grew and developed and was ultimately used greatly because God’s hand was on his life.
So, here’s my question: Is God’s hand upon your life? I don’t ask this to trouble you in any way or cause doubt. But I want to exhort you either to be encouraged by the clear evidence of His presence in your life or to consider why it seems like His presence isn’t currently with you. If you are concerned about the latter, I encourage you to take this a step further and start the process of interacting with a trusted, biblical advisor. You can have all the success in the world, but without God, in the end it will be written over your life and work, “The glory has departed.”
I can’t think of a more chilling indictment than that the glory of God has departed from your life, your family, your community, your organization, or even your church. This ought to truly sober us. And in our therapeutic culture, we need to be careful to keep God and His Word the main thing. Just a simple scroll through Instagram any given Sunday, or really, any day of the week, you will find the prevalence of therapeutic approaches in the pulpit. If our greatest need is to live our best life or become our best selves, then the remedy has to be a message and teaching oriented toward self-help and self-actualization. May God help us.
[Written by Dr. Bobo Beck and adapted from Volume 1/ Devotional 30 Obedience > Ritual in the Wisdom Calling Devotional series.]