In A Hope for Hannah by Jerry S. Eicher, Hannah Byler, a young Amish woman, must learn to trust God through the trials that she and her new husband Jake experience. After their recent move to Montana, Hannah and Jake face all kinds of trials: a grizzly bear snuffling around their house at night, Jake losing his job, and a harsh winter looming ahead. Hannah is afraid that they might not make it to spring.
Through all their trials, Jake and Hannah learn to rely on each other and on God. The spirituality of their relationship with each other definitely deepens throughout the story; Jake begins praying aloud with Hannah and talking more to her about spiritual matters. The first time he prays aloud at the dinner table is unforgettable for her, and for the reader.
Despite Jakes calm assurance that God wants them to stay in Montana, Hannah isnt so convinced. She desperately wants to move back to Indiana, where she grew up. Throughout this difficult time she sheds many tears and suffers much heartache. But she chooses to obey Colossians 3:18, where Paul says, Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord.
Although Hannah doesnt always agree with Jakes decisions, she always faithfully submits to them and obeys him. She is a loving wife who truly strives to please her husband, even if she doesnt always understand why he is asking her to do something. She is always faithful to encourage him when theyre going through hard circumstances, a great example for wives who may read Hannahs story.
Overall, A Hope for Hannah is a very interesting story about the lives of this young Amish couple. It moves rather slow in the beginning, but by the middle of the story Jake and Hannah are tangled in a web of circumstances so difficult that it seems they will never make it out; it compels one to keep reading to find out what will happen to them in the end. Hannah and Jakes story would be a great epic for young women looking for Christian fiction about married life and the Amish faith. Rachel E. Nolan, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
