Welcome to the daily chizuk (encouragement). We all know that Hashem runs the world, but do we feel that Hashem is with me? A person says, “I need a shidduch (match) for my child. I think about it day and night. I’m so worried. Is Hashem really thinking about that?” I have a problem with parnasa (livelihood). I don’t know how I’m going to pay the bills. Is Hashem really thinking about me every moment? The doctor said it’s not working. Hashem is worried about that? Hashem is so busy. The answer is: not only is Hashem thinking about your problem when you are, He is even thinking about it when you’re not. We go to sleep, but the pasuk (verse) says Hashem never sleeps. Hashem is always thinking about you. But people say, “I’ve been praying for so long. I’m trying so hard. It’s not working.” At that moment, that is the time that you have to be mechazek (strengthen) yourself and continue on, because the biggest siyata dishmaya (help from Heaven) comes when a person is ready to despair, when a person is ready to give up.
We see by Chana, everyone gave up on her. Even her husband, Elkanah, told her, “Anokhi tov lach me'asarah banim.” He said, “Chana, you’re not going to have children, but aren’t I better to you than ten sons?” And Chana understood at that time: aderaba (on the contrary), now is the time that Hashem is going to remember me. Now is the time when al pi derech hateva (according to the natural order), it doesn’t seem that it’s going to happen. Everyone’s giving up. Even her father and mother gave up. But she said, “Atah hazman.” Now is the time. “Atah hazman liyeshuah (salvation).” Now is the time for my yeshuah. And she got up to pray with emunah (faith) and hope. And she knew that she had 19 years of pain on her side when she came to pray to Hashem. The Midrash (rabbinic teaching) says she was barren for 19 years. And Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz said she prayed with such emunah.
If you look at the Gemara in Berachot, what a beautiful tefillah (prayer) she had. She was so specific. She believed so much. She said, “Hashem, when you give me a child now, let him be lo chacham ve'lo tipesh, not too smart, not too foolish; lo aroch ve'lo katan, not too tall, not too short.” She was so specific. And Hashem said, “Ah, what a beautiful tefillah.” Hashem granted her one of the greatest nevi'im (prophets), Shmuel HaNavi, in the merit of not giving up hope. When a person is ready to give up, the pasuk says, “Kaveh el Hashem.” You have to hope to Hashem. And when you want to give up, “Chazak v'ya'ametz libecha.” You have to come back again. “Ve'kaveh el Hashem” (and hope in Hashem). Have a great day.