Keion Henderson - Empty but Thankful

1 Samuel chapter number one, we are going to read verse 9 and a few of the following verses. 1 Samuel chapter 1, verse number 9. Here 's what the Word of the Lord says: «So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the Temple of the Lord. He was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore. She vowed a vow and said, 'O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt Thou give me Thine handmaid a manchild? ' She is asking God for a son. 'Then I will give him right back to You, ' that’s what she said, 'and there shall be no razor upon his head.' It came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Eli said unto her, 'How long have you been drinking? Put away thine wine.' And Hannah said, 'No, my lord, I haven’t been drinking; I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not Thine handmaid to be a daughter of Belial; for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.' Then Eli answered and said to her, 'Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant you what you have asked.' As it relates to her petition, she said, 'Let Thine handmaid find grace in Thy sight.' So the woman went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.» I want to talk about empty but thankful. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. Touch two people and say, «I may be empty, but I am still thankful.» Will you praise God for one of the most gifted music talents we have, Mr. Chad Broly? Come on and praise God for him! God bless you. I’m empty, but I’m thankful.

Hannah is in a peculiar position because she is one of the wives of a man named Elkanah, who has two wives: Hannah being one and Peninah being the other. Elkanah has both wives, and Peninah, who has given him children, thinks she is the favorite wife because every time, as the scripture says, he goes into her, she gives him something out of her. She bears him a child. In those days, you have to understand that a man who had children and many wives was considered a man of strong status and stature. So he has this wife who keeps giving him children, but something is wrong because she keeps giving him children, yet he keeps giving his attention to Hannah. The Bible says he preferred Hannah, and you have to ask yourself, why would he prefer someone who doesn’t give him anything over someone who gives him exactly what they think he needs? Peninah keeps giving him children; Peninah keeps making sure that his house is in order; Peninah keeps making sure that his name is great in the city. But he doesn’t prefer Peninah; he prefers Hannah, who is barren. This is important because Hannah is the fourth barren woman in the scripture. This is not a new problem she has. Sarah was the first barren woman, followed by Rebecca, then Rachel, and then Hannah. Four women in the Bible have already gone through this barrenness. It is amazing that, as Abraham and Sarah tried to conceive, they couldn 't conceive; they do conceive through Hagar, the handmaid, and they have a baby with her named Ishmael. However, the second baby that comes is named Isaac. That 's key because the next barren woman is Rebecca, and guess who she marries? She marries Isaac. Rebecca has two babies inside of her. The Bible says that she has two nations inside of her: Jacob and Esau, and they are wrestling within her. Jacob is born and marries a girl named Rachel. Rachel is the third barren woman. You must follow me here. Rachel is the third barren woman. Look at this trajectory; consider how everyone who is barren is related, how everybody who is barren was raised at the same breast, and how everybody who is barren has the same value system. Watch what God does next-He breaks the curse. Now, before He is able to do anything, you must see that there is a difference in how Rebecca and Rachel handled their pregnancies compared to how Sarah and Hannah handled theirs. The Bible lets us know that when Abraham and Sarah couldn’t conceive, they didn’t wait on God; they circumvented God and involved the maid, which is why they ended up with Ishmael, as they produced outside of the system. Are you with me so far? But they didn’t wait on God. Now you have Isaac, the second son who is the promised one, but not before Ishmael is born. Is this too much for you? Are you getting this? Not before Ishmael, Isaac comes. Isaac takes a wife named Rebecca, and the same thing happens.