Sarah and Hannah Parallels According to Neville Goddard

The Story of Hannah: A Symbol of Manifestation and the Power of Imagination

In the Bible, the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is a profound illustration of the power of the imagination and how faith, assumption, and feeling can bring desires into physical reality. This story aligns perfectly with the teachings of Neville Goddard, who emphasized the importance of the imagination in manifestation.

Hannah’s experience reflects the creative power of thought and the process by which desires—even those that seem impossible—can be realized when aligned with the right mental and emotional states.

Hannah’s Yearning for a Child: The Desire and Imagination

Hannah’s story begins with her deep yearning for a child. She is described as barren, which in Neville’s teachings symbolizes the void or absence before manifestation. This state of lack is not permanent—it represents the space where desires begin to form.

In 1 Samuel 1:10-11, Hannah, in her emotional distress, makes a heartfelt prayer to God, saying:

“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant, and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

This powerful dialogue reveals Hannah’s deep desire and the assumption that she is already asking for what she truly wants—a child. Her faith and determination in the prayer symbolize the act of assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled. Neville Goddard often spoke of the importance of feeling the fulfillment of a desire in the present moment, and Hannah’s prayer mirrors this exact principle.

The Power of Prayer: Aligning with the Feeling of the Wish Fulfilled

Hannah’s prayer is an act of faith and assumption—she is not merely asking for a child; she is imagining, with all her heart, that her wish has already been fulfilled. This aligns with Neville’s teaching that feeling is the secret to manifestation. By praying with deep sincerity and feeling the joy of already receiving her child, Hannah is impressing this desire onto her subconscious mind.

Hannah’s dialogue with God is her act of aligning with the feeling of already having a child, a process Neville calls “living in the end.” By living in the end of her desire, she is mentally and emotionally placing herself in a state of already having what she longs for.

Manifestation: The Birth of Samuel

After Hannah’s prayer, her life changes. The Bible tells us that God answers her prayer, and she conceives a son, whom she names Samuel, which means "asked of God." This is the manifestation of her desire. Her child is the result of her faith, her focused imagination, and the assumption of the fulfillment of her desire.

This process is exactly what Neville Goddard teaches: by feeling and associating with the end result, we impress our desires upon the subconscious mind, which then works to bring them into physical form.

Connecting Hannah’s Story to Other Biblical Narratives: Sarah and Abraham

To deepen our understanding of the principles Neville teaches, we can also look to another powerful biblical example—Sarah and Abraham. Like Hannah, Sarah also experienced barrenness. She longed for a child but faced many years of disappointment. In Genesis 18:10-14, God promises Abraham that Sarah will have a son, even though she is well beyond the age of bearing children. Sarah laughs at this promise, but God reassures her with the statement:

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

This question echoes Neville’s teachings that nothing is impossible when the imagination is properly focused. Sarah, like Hannah, eventually aligns her thoughts with the promise, and despite her old age, she conceives Isaac. The birth of Isaac, like the birth of Samuel, represents the manifestation of a desire that had been impressed upon the subconscious mind, the result of a focused and faithful imagination.

The Subconscious Mind and the Power of Faith

In both stories, we see the subconscious mind at work. Hannah’s barrenness represents a state of lack, but her faith and imagination transform that lack into abundance. Sarah’s initial disbelief in God's promise symbolizes how the subconscious mind, when filled with doubts or limiting beliefs, can resist the manifestation of desires. However, as Sarah finally assumes the end result—believing in the impossible—she too experiences the fulfillment of her desire.

Neville Goddard teaches that the imagination is the key to creating reality. The stories of Hannah and Sarah illustrate the power of assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled. Both women transformed their lives by changing their beliefs, aligning their faith with their desires, and trusting that their wishes were already realized.

Conclusion: The Power of Imagination in Manifestation

Hannah’s story offers us a profound lesson in the art of manifestation. By praying with feeling, assuming the fulfillment of her desire, and aligning her faith with the impression of a child, she manifested Samuel into being. Her story parallels Neville Goddard’s teachings that the imagination is the most powerful tool for creating our reality.

Through faith, imagination, and living in the end, we can manifest anything we desire—just as Hannah did with the birth of her son, and just as Sarah did with the birth of Isaac. The subconscious mind, when aligned with a clear desire and a feeling of fulfillment, will work to bring that desire into reality.

Like Hannah, we too can speak our desires into existence, feel the wish fulfilled, and trust that the universe will bring our visions to life. The key is to believe in the impossibility of lack and to assume the end result, knowing that nothing is too hard for the power of imagination.