We know from Ana that she was the wife of a man named Elcana. In verse five of the first chapter of the first book of Samuel, we realize that this woman was barren. Elcana not only had Ana as wife, but also had as wife a woman named Penina, who had given children to Elcana.
Ana’s big problem was not only that she could not bear children, nor was Elcana. Besides this heavy living of not being able to have children, Ana had a big problem and it was called: Penina.
6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
1 Samuel 1:6-8
Big problem this! Besides the fact that she was sterile, she had a voice that made fun of his misfortune daily. It is natural that we are also surrounded by people of this type of terrible behavior, and it is logical that this makes us feel worse, as it was happening with Ana.
But Ana was not the only woman who had her Penina, because David had his Goliath, Nehemiah had his Tobias, Jesus had his Judas; every character in the Bible had those negative people who whispered in his ear every bad thing. Our enemies will never expect good things to happen to us, but, do you know what is best? That the best is always to come.
The Bible does not tell us that Ana surrendered to this situation, rather, she makes a sublime prayer before our glorious Father who is always ready to listen to our prayers:
In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.
1 Samuel 1: 10
Ana began to pray with “great anguish” and to cry inconsolably. Ana could no longer handle this situation, simply because her heart had broken. Ana was at the limit of her situation, she could not bear this terrible pressure of not being able to give Elcana a son and she makes this sublime prayer:
And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lordfor all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
1 Samuel 1:11
Great prayer of this woman! Even though she was so disconsolate from her terrible situation, she had not lost faith that God could give her a son. In her prayer we see that she recognized the power of God in thinking that God had the power to grant her a son. Ana was asking for a miracle, something that the doctors could not solve, but she knew that what does not have logic for the human, what is impossible, God makes it possible.
We want you to know something: Our God is the same one who granted a son to that woman who no longer had hope on the part of men. Trust in God, cry to Him with all your heart, hold fast to Him with your faith and trust in God even if you do not see what you ask for.
Through her faith in the Lord Ana could say:
Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
