How to Deal with your Enemies

Elkanah has 2 wives - Hannah and Peninnah. He loved Hannah very much  and gave her a double portion of what he gave to her co-wife Peninnah. 

However, Hannah did not have children and Peninnah provoked her severely year after year to make her miserable. As a result, Hannah wept and did not eat when they went to the house of the Lord to take their offerings. 

Elkanah her husband tried to comfort her by asking her, "Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you not eating? Why are you grieving? Am I not better than 10 sons?"

The Bible does not tell us what she said, but Hannah went to the tabernacle of the Lord with a lot of bitterness and prayed to God while weeping in anguish. Then she promised God that if He gave her a son, she would give him back to serve Him all his life.   

As she continued praying to God, Eli the priest was watching her and he saw that her lips were moving but her voice could not be heard. He therefore assumed she was drunk and questioned her about it.

Hannah responded stating she was not drunk with wine but she was deeply sorrowful and pouring out her soul to God from the abundance of her complaint and grief.

Eli understood and blessed her saying, "May the God of Israel grant your request." 

God granted her request and gave her a son whom she named Samuel because "I have asked him from God". (1 Samuel 1:1-20) 

So what do you think made Hannah pray these fervent prayers - was it her husband's endearments or was it her enemy's taunting?

It was the provocations of her enemy Peninnah which made her miserable, bitter and deeply sorrowful that pushed her to pray the fervent prayers that led to the birth of Samuel.

Therefore do not waste your energy planning how you will avenge yourself and deal with the enemies who have made you miserable, bitter, deeply sorrowful and caused you to weep in anguish.

Use that energy from your pain to PUSH your prayers to the next level as you continue praying until you get your own Samuel from the Lord regardless of whether your Samuel is a child, a husband, a wife or a house.