Have you ever faced one setback after another? In life, hardships and delays hit us and, if you’re like me, it can be easy to become discouraged and even despondent. This is why learning to manage life’s delays is vital.

We’re not the first to face struggles and delays. In fact, there are countless examples in Scripture of people who faced delays. In 1 Samuel, we read the story of a woman named Hannah who faced a long, excruciating delay battling infertility.

Infertility—or barrenness—is not just the inability to birth children… it’s also not being able to birth your dreams. You see, for both men and women, barrenness can easily lead us to a dry place—spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Yet, in Hannah’s story, we discover one of the keys to overcoming when life feels barren.

One day, Hannah was praying passionately to the Lord in the tabernacle. When Eli the priest saw her, he thought she was drunk—though in reality she was pouring her heart out before God. 1 Samuel 1:15 says, Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.”

Wow. Instead of shutting down or lashing out at those around her, Hannah expressed her faith, concerns, and needs to God through prayer. You see, God oftentimes uses our problems to get our attention, to grow us, and to lead us closer to Him in prayer. Because of Hannah’s faith, her diligence, and her prayers, God turned an impossible situation around for her and she gave birth to a son—the prophet Samuel!

Friend, in your delay, I encourage you to keep crying out to God. Refuse to become bitter. Don’t allow your pain to name you. Instead, bring everything to God through prayer and allow Him to soften your heart.

To discover how you can stay strong in the delay and help others trust God as well, dive into this message with me…