Is communication with others hard for you sometimes? Of course it is. It is a challenge to all people. How to communicate keeps us in Communication 101 more than we ever thought. But God has not given up on us. He is interested in growing us in this area. He made all of us and it is good to focus our attention on areas that need His intervention. I want you to feel hope after reading my article. There is a free download toward the end.

Hannah in the Bible is faced not only with domestic trouble, but she can’t even get any peace in the temple at Shiloh. Her story is in I Samuel 1:9-18 and is a practical lesson to help us learn some strategies for communication. Let’s visit her situation now. And stay to the end for encouragement for your prayer life.

The setting is the temple at Shiloh, and Eli, the priest, is sitting nearby. In verse 9, Hannah stands up to pray in deep anguish. Verse 12 says, “Eli observed her mouth.” The details in verse 13 give us Hannah’s disposition. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. She is praying intently. At the end of the verse the text says that Eli thought she was drunk.

Instead of asking if Hannah is okay, in verse 14, Eli interrupts and accuses her, saying, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” Hannah was ready for his dreadful assumption. And she responded rationally. With calm and respect, she speaks truth. I believe Eli felt convicted and promptly issued his favor and hope that God would answer her.

Up to this part of the story, the chapter describes Hannah’s shaky and unpleasant family situation. It would be hard for the best of us to endure it. Nevertheless, Hannah is faithful to the Lord. So, what can we learn from Hannah?

5 Principles To Learn from Hannah’s Communication:

1. Hannah stays calm – When accused wrongly, she does not react emotionally. Neither does she ignore Eli’s accusation, and in verse 15 she is fully engaged with the priest. But she states that she is deeply troubled and has not been drinking. In fact she explains she was pouring out her soul to the LORD. This brings us to the next thing we can learn from Hannah.

2. Hannah is honest – Rather than defensiveness or an attack to Eli, she shares her feelings. Doing this revealed her heart, and softened his. In verse 16, I see a godly woman who cared about her reputation. His misguided thoughts would not be the last word. She would not let his lie live. She is not a wicked women, and adds 2 more descriptions of her feelings – anguish and grief.

3. Hannah abides with God – Her self-control to act maturely toward Eli is an example indeed! She displays dignity and speaks honestly and truthfully about her spiritual condition. I believe it is her domestic situation that grew endurance to ignore provocations and irritating ways (verse 6), even in the temple!

We learn Eli gives her his blessing. Obviously Hannah was not a close friend to the priest. But he received the gift of Hannah’s honesty and vulnerability that day. Thankfully, he self corrected and responded humbly.

4. Hannah goes above and beyond – Surprisingly, verse 18 finds her respectfully giving Eli honor by asking that she gain his favor. And she was wise. In verse 11, a vow she made to the Lord ensured she would “give the boy to the LORD.” She knew that she and Eli would meet again in the future.

5. Hannah has hope – Verse 8 shows her husband, Elkanah, pleading with Hannah to eat. After her temple prayers and receiving Eli’s favor, she felt better. She was free from her greatest burden. She had hope, and with a renewed countenance, went to eat.

Hannah’s prayer life was normal to her. She did not need a temple to pray. She prayed all the time. It was an excellent strategy for staying peaceful in the middle of a mess.

10 things I learn from Hannah about prayer-

• Check your motivation. Hannah’s was selfless. We know because of the vow she made(verse 11), and her future action once Samuel is born(verse 24).

• Pray about everything. Hannah’s prayer life no doubt included every little thing that she had to deal with every single day.

• You will feel free after you share all your burdens big or small with the Lord.

• Hope is restored. The hope gives you endurance and perseverance while you wait on the answer.

• The Lord shows up every time you pray. He listens intently and Hannah knew that about Him.

• Hannah had significant reasons to be bitter. She had the solution. Prayer keeps away bitterness (Matthew 18:23-35).

• We don’t need a priest to pray. Those in Christ have direct access to God, and that is who Hannah prayed to( I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25).

• Prayer brings you into God’s presence who is beautiful, sweet, comforting and loving.

• Your situation may be a mess. Pray anyway.
• When prayer is your automatic response, God watches over your cause. https://valerierumfelt.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10-things-i-learn-about-hannah.pdf

Hannah had faith in the Lord. Her prayers were not surface prayers. The fervency described is a woman who knew God would answer. I’ll never understand the purpose of Eli’s comments. But Hannah’s communication with him is a worthy example for us.

I believe that Hannah’s domestic situation had taught her perseverance in the face of opposition. Taking matters into her own hands, dishonoring her husband, being spiteful to the other wife, or showing any annoyance at Eli was not in Hannah’s strategy. Hannah had several impossible circumstances. Her strategy was prayer. And prayer made her a beautiful woman, keeping her under the Spirit’s control.

I hope you reflect on areas you can try a new strategy in your communication. I see nothing but hope in Hannah’s situation. Why did Hannah have hope? Because Hannah prayed.

©Valerie Rumfelt

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