Anointed and Annoyed: When God’s Call Doesn’t Cancel Your Pain
- John Young
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:6–7; Romans 8:18; Galatians 6:9
There is a quiet lie in church culture that says if you’re truly called, you shouldn’t be bothered. If you’re anointed, you should be unshakable. If you really trust God, pain shouldn’t get under your skin.
Hannah exposes that lie.
She wasn’t just hurting—she was provoked. Scripture says her rival “provoked her severely, to make her miserable” (1 Samuel 1:6). This wasn’t accidental. It wasn’t ignorance. It was intentional, repetitive, and personal. The pain Hannah carried wasn’t only internal; it was constantly reinforced by what she saw happening around her.
Public Provocation Creates Private Pain
There’s a special kind of suffering that comes from watching someone else receive what you’ve been praying for—especially when it happens right in front of you. Hannah’s rival didn’t just have children; she had them in Hannah’s face. Every pregnancy announcement, every baby cry, every celebration reminded Hannah of what she lacked.
That kind of pain doesn’t just make you sad—it makes you tired.
It wears on your faith.It challenges your patience.It tempts you to question your worth.
And yet, Hannah stayed faithful.
She kept going to worship.She kept showing up.She kept honoring God.
Which tells us something important: faithfulness does not eliminate frustration.
Glory Is Coming—But Pain Is Present
Romans 8:18 says, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” That verse gives us hope—but it doesn’t deny reality. Paul acknowledges suffering before he promises glory.
Too often, believers rush past the suffering part to get to the shout. But God never dismisses what hurts you. He names it. He sees it. He sits with it.
And Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “Let us not grow weary while doing good.” That verse wouldn’t exist if weariness wasn’t real. The warning not to grow weary assumes that even faithful people get tired.
Hannah didn’t stop believing—she stopped pretending she wasn’t exhausted.
Anointed, Yet Annoyed
You can be:
Anointed and irritated
Gifted and grieving
Called and confused
Annoyance doesn’t always mean rebellion. Sometimes it’s grief that hasn’t been processed yet. Sometimes it’s sorrow that’s been spiritualized instead of healed.
The church has a habit of labeling irritation as carnality, when in reality it may be a sign of emotional depletion. We expect people to shout through seasons that require sitting. We tell people to rejoice when they need room to lament.
But Hannah teaches us that lament is not the absence of faith—it’s the language of it.
When Comparison Becomes a Thief
Comparison is one of the enemy’s quietest weapons. It doesn’t attack your belief in God—it attacks your belief in yourself. It whispers, “Why them and not you?” It convinces you that delay means denial, and silence means rejection.
Hannah could have allowed comparison to harden her heart. Instead, it revealed her humanity.
She didn’t lose her faith.She lost her tolerance for pretending she was okay.
And that honesty became the doorway to her breakthrough
.
God Is Not Threatened by Your Annoyance
God never rebuked Hannah for her frustration. He never condemned her for her weariness. Instead, He responded to her vulnerability.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is admit, “I’m tired.”Sometimes the most faithful prayer is, “Lord, this hurts.”
Being anointed doesn’t mean you don’t feel pain.It means you bring your pain to the right place.
Reflection
Where has comparison quietly worn you down?Who are you smiling for while suffering in silence?What grief have you mislabeled as weakness?
God is not asking you to deny your pain—He’s inviting you to trust Him with it.
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