In the days of the Judges, God visited a godly woman and gave her the son she'd been waiting for in her years of barrenness. Hannah serves as a picture of a weary rejoicer who worshiped before, during, and after her trial.

God's people have always been called to endure the trials of this life while simultaneously holding on to the promise of a future and ultimate restoration. God does not reckon time as we do, and so these future promises often seem so far removed from us that we wonder what difference they make at all. The Christian must remember that Jesus has brought his kingdom as the fulfillment of one of those promises. This kingdom is advancing and we are to not only be productive citizens in it, but we should be praying with eagerness for Jesus to consummate it.