Am I not more to you?

"[Elkanah gave a] double portion to Hannah because he loved her, though the LORD had made her barren...Elkanah used to ask her: 'Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?'"
--1 Samuel 1:5, 8

Ultimately, of course, God blessed Hannah with a son, Samuel, but today as I read this passage I am struck more by Elkanah, and his God-like love for his barren wife.

Our lives are often barren, dry, disappointing, unfulfilling. Elkanah loves his wife despite her barrenness, and offers his unconditional love to her, suggesting that his love is of greater value than ten sons. We probably have no equivalent for this in modern times. To be childless in the ancient days was a terrible curse and made one a social outcaste. Elkanah's love is worth far more than the social approval or security provided by a family.

God offers a similar love to us, a double-portion of love, though for us, too, this love does not always manifest itself in the outward signs of good fortune valued by society today. When we feel barren, it is not a sign that we are unloved, and we are promised abundance beyond our wildest imaginings if we open our hearts to receive it.

I write this at a time when my own life is far from barren, but rather overflowing with blessing and new life. But no person is spared times of emptiness and desolation. These are the times we need to hear God's loving whisper, "Why do you weep? Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than even your heart's greatest desire?"