A Verse
1 Samuel 1:9-18
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’S house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
A Comment
As I mentioned in yesterday’s devotional, Hannah was not consoled by Elkanah’s double portion blessing nor his question of how blessed she was to have him as her husband. Hannah was still grieving. So, after the family finished their meal, which doubtlessly consisted of the meat from Elkanah’s sacrifices in Shiloh, Hannah went into the house of the LORD. She encounters Eli in this scene. In future chapters, we will see a contrast between Hannah’s son, Samuel, and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas. But for now, we focus on Hannah’s pursuit of the LORD in prayer.
Hannah prayed with sincerity and transparency. I am grateful that the author of 1 Samuel included these details. She is said to be in “deep anguish” and “weeping bitterly.” Hannah entreats the LORD Almighty to look upon her distress and have mercy, granting her the desire of her heart for a child. If the LORD would do this for Hannah, she vows to dedicate the child to the LORD.
There are a few things here that I want to point out for us. First, when we seek the Lord, even in the midst of our anguish, we should seek Him with the sincerity and transparency that we see displayed in Hannah. Hannah did not seek the LORD in pretense. She did not put on her “happy face,” so to speak. She approached the LORD in her anguish, tears and all, spoke from her heart, and asked the LORD to deliver her from the shame of her circumstances.
Secondly, like Hannah, we must realize that when we pray, we are communing with God. In other words, we pray so as to make our request known to Him. We are not praying so that others would be impressed with our piety or our vocabulary. We are conducting serious business with our God. While Eli may have been puzzled by Hannah’s prayers, this only goes to show that such prayer was not a frequent occurrence in these days. Eli must have not witnessed many people pour their hearts out to God. No wonder he figured she was drunk from the meal she just finished with her family.
Thirdly, like Hannah, we should approach the LORD in humility. Hannah rightly recognizes that she is His servant. She does not address God as equals. She knows her place before the LORD. This is how we ought to approach the LORD as well. With humility and honesty.
Finally, given the situation that Hannah was in and the pain that she had suffered from Penninah, I love how Hannah “pours her heart out to the Lord.” I appreciate what one commentator said about this passage, “Her self-description as ‘pouring out my soul before the Lord’ indicated that rather than leaving her emotions to fester in internal bitterness, she has expressed her deepest desires in sustained entreaty to God.” O’ that we would be the type of people that pour our souls out to God, instead of allowing the bitterness of our emotions to destroy us from within.
A Prayer
In light of these lessons on prayer that we learn from Hannah, would you join me in prayer?
A Blessing
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
How to Pray in Hard Times (1 Samuel 1:9-18)