Okay – so the going gets tough. The storm hits. Now What. Let's meet a woman who's been there, done that – and see what we can learn from her. This woman's name? Hannah.

We're going to meet someone today who was dealt a cruel blow in her life. She was a beautiful young woman called Hannah who, to the taunts of those around her, remained childless for many years. And yet in the midst of this most painful storm of her life she discovered a peace, a peace that surpassed all understanding. It doesn't matter who we are or where we're at in life, storms are going to come along and hit us when we least expect them. We can't change that but what we do in the middle of that storm, well it makes such a huge difference.

And that's why I'd love to have the opportunity to spend just the next few minutes sharing in Hannah's journey 'cause I have this hunch that there are just a few of us that need that encouragement today. Is that a reasonable thing to do? Maybe there's no storm in your life at the moment, maybe there's clear blue sky, well that's fabulous but what we discover together in these next few moments might just be something that you can tuck away in your heart and pull out the next time those storm clouds start brewing.

If you've got a Bible grab it because we're going to have a bit of a look at the book of 1 Samuel, the first few chapters, over these coming days and weeks. We're going to discover a truth that we kind of know, that we should know and yet it kind of gets lost in the world that we live in. It's a 'me' centred world, we keep on going to God and asking for these things for me, me, me.

You know, I sometimes think that we're trying to turn Him into a performing poodle. "You know, God do tricks on my command, when I say 'now, jump', when I say 'now', deliver this". You think there's a risk to that? I think there is, in a very "me" centred world. It may seem harsh but you turn God the wrong way round and you get 'dog', right? Am I expecting God to dance to my tune or am I dancing to His tune? Good question, it's what we're going to explore in this story and it begins with a storm.

A woman called Hannah, it turns out she's going through some really rough times but she, she has the Creator/creature relationship the right way up. This is what the story says in the book of 1 Samuel:

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph who's an Ephramite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah, the other one Peninnah and Peninnah had children but Hannah didn't. Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were the priests of the Lord.

Whenever the day came for Elkannah to go and sacrifice he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters but to Hannah, he gave a double portion because he loved her and the Lord had closed her womb and because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her to irritate her. This went on year after year, whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her until she wept and would not eat. Elkanah her husband 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?"

Pretty rough wasn't it? It's a real storm, anybody who's been through that pain of not being able to have children. Imagine somebody else who has kids, your husbands other wife, taunting you like that, absolutely brutal and Hannah has lots of choices. She could have lashed out, she could have been angry, she could have withdrawn, she could have given up and her husbands pretty useless, typical bloke. He says:

Hannah, why are you crying? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?

Like, well you've got me, everything is okay. Hannah is going through the incredible pain of not being able to have children. She's one of two wives, something you saw in early civilisation even in the Bible. Really pleased that's something that's gone away. Can you imagine the rivalry and this ongoing white hot skewer in that relationship?

So what does Hannah do? As I said, she had a whole bunch of choices; to retaliate, to act up badly, to give up, to curl up in the corner and give up on life and die. To spend a life complaining, let the bitterness consume her, what does she do in her perfect storm? Here's the story:

Once they'd finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lords temple. In the bitterness of her soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord." (Look at it, a sad picture) "And she made a vow saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you would only look upon your servants misery and remember me and do not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head."

And as she kept praying to the Lord, Eli the priest observed her mouth, Hannah was praying in her heart but her lips were moving but her voice wasn't heard and Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." "Not so my lord" Hannah replied, "I'm a woman who is deeply troubled. I've not been drinking wine or beer. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Don't take your servant for a wicked woman, I've been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." And Eli answers, "Well go in peace and may God of Israel grant you what you've asked of Him." She said, "May your servant find favour in your eyes." Then she went away, she ate something and her face was no longer downcast.

See it turns out, she does have a son, calls him Samuel, gives him over to God as soon as he was weaned and Samuel comes and serves as a priest, in this temple, under Eli, whom we discover later is a really bad dude. He's the priest, he's supposed to be the "go between" between God and His people and yet, he and his sons have no respect whatsoever for God. We'll look at them another time.

Now, notice she doesn't lash out or whine or complain, she humbles herself before God and asks her Sovereign God, pours her heart out to Him in her grief and Eli, this scoundrel, with about as much spiritual insight as my pet cat, thinks she's drunk and gives her platitudes and yet here's this simple woman, at the bottom of the heap, pouring her heart out to God and notice what it says after she does that, verse 18 chapter 1:

Then she went her way and ate something and her face was no longer downcast.

See, Hannah's feet were on solid ground. Even before her prayer is answered, this seemingly impossible prayer. You know what this tells me, she trusted God. No matter what His answer would be, she trusted her God. She let it go, she stopped worrying and God answered her prayer.

Some things sound too simple. It sounds too easy to go to God and pour your heart out and hand it over to Him. It seems that it could never possibly make a difference but pouring our hearts out to God is like a first step of putting our feet on solid ground. In fact, sometimes it's the only step we have.

Now you might say to me, "Berni no, it's too simple. In any case what difference could it make? God already knows my problem". And I'd say this to you; this is something that, over the years, I've known and so often forgotten to do. Not 'til I hit rock bottom sometimes do I remember and every time I do it you know what happens? He puts my feet on solid ground – He just does!