Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10

We can know certain characters of women that will make us a blessing to the family from the life of Hannah. Elkanah had two wives Hannah and Penninah. Penninah had children but Hannah did not have one (1 Samuel 1:2).

1. Hannah’s approach

Whenever Penninah hurts the heart of Hannah (1 Samuel 1:6, 7) of not having a child, she did not cry or speak sorrowfully to her husband or any man but instead turned her cry to God in prayer (1 Samuel 1:10). Even in her prayers Hannah did not complain about Penninah ill-treating her, instead she cries for her weakness of not having a child (1 Samuel 1:11).

2. Waiting on God for His will and not her will

Women like Sarah and Rachael who did not have children took their own decision (Genesis 16:1-3, Genesis 30:1-4). The decision that they took on their own instead of placing their supplication to God brought curse in the life of Ishmael (Genesis 16:11, 12) and Rueben (Genesis 35:22, I Chronicles 5:1). But Hannah went to the presence of God and waited instead of making her own decisions.

3. Prayer of Vow

She made a zealous vow with God that, “I will do this for God if God does it for me” (1 Samuel 1:11).

4. Gentleness

Though Eli understood Hannah in a wrong way and rebuked her (1 Samuel 1:12-14), she did not get angry or get hurt instead told her heart’s sorrow in a gentle way (1 Samuel 1:15, 16).

5. Inheriting the promise as a blessing

When Eli said, “The Lord will grant thy petition” she inherited those words as a blessing immediately without despising it, even though it was the same man who understood her wrong and had rebuked her earlier. After that she did not remain with a sad countenance (1Samuel 1:17, 18).

6. Fulfilling her vow without fail

Without fail Hannah fulfilled her vow to God with a whole and joyful heart, praising God. She saw her son only once in a year when she came to offer sacrifice to God in His temple (1 Samuel 1:24, 25 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Even we as women, let us not decide as per our desire instead surrender ourselves to the will of God and pray with a vow and fulfil our vow without fail for the blessings we receive. When we do so, God is able to bless us and our family more than we think or ask (1 Samuel 2:20, 21).