Anyone have some personal problems? Anyone have any trouble? Maybe you have a troubling person in your path right now? Anyone dreading something coming your way? Have you prayed about it? Doesn’t everyone?!
Reality is… not every believer prays in trouble. Or at least they wait until their trial and error has been exhausted. We tend to work it out on our own before we seek the Lord with the same intensity we tried so hard at. This is a secret, hidden form, of pride. We all demonstrate it to some degree. I pray today you learn to seek Him early rather than later.
In 1 Samuel 1.1-8, 9-18 we find a woman in pain. She has a desire for children, but up to this point she hasn’t been able to. This is still a common pain among couples today. It’s personal, it’s private, it hurts. Do you want to make it worse? Have someone lord it over you. In this case, it wasn’t Hannah’s husband, or a person across the street, it was her sister-wife. I am not getting into that right here right now, but let’s just say it was different times. She was hurting and was provoked to cry out to God.
She did this in the midst of her personal pain. She didn’t wait until she felt better, or could compose herself more. No. She reached heaven, while in her pain. Our text tells us that she was in such pain emotionally, that when she did pray, she looked as if she was going mad— “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” (1.10). She didn’t care if someone was watching or listening. She only cared if God heard her. She wasn’t trying to make a scene either, or a spectacle. In verse 13 we see, it was silent. It was a heart cry— “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.” Hannah had no idea Eli was watching. He thought she was drunk— “And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” (1.14). It wasn’t lip service, it was from the heart and to be kept silent.
There is something else to point out in this text. She lived this pain in the midst of her adversary. The other woman! Isn’t that salt in the wound?! Her adversary provoked her to the point she was weeping and stopped eating. Talk is just that… talk. But it does provoke and hurt. The old rhyme ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ …is a lie! David understood this pain. He wrote in Psalm 23— “Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies”. Not when they aren’t there, but when they are there and poking at your pain. Her adversary had what Hannah wanted, a baby child. But she didn’t have what Hannah had, love. Jealousy is the heart of an adversary. Don’t stoop to the level of your competition; instead do what Hannah did… pray. We also see that the adversary is just talk, but Hannah’s prayer was not just talk. Hannah’s prayer got the attention of God, to the point He did grant it and granted it in a big way! Her son would be the only one who served as a prophet and a priest, except Jesus Christ. That is awesome!
According to the bible, unanswered prayer may result from: sin in the life of the person praying (Psalm 66.18); or a lack of faith (James 1.6-7); which is not praying according to the will of God (1 John 5.14); or praying from impure motives (James 4.3). But what if you pray, meet all the requirements, and still don’t receive an answer like Hannah? The answer is simple— God is sovereign. He answers prayer in His time and according to His purposes. Hannah prayed and wept and longed for a child. At the right time God gave her a son who would be a blessing to the entire world. The last judge and the first prophet, and a priest.
God answered her prayer in the presence of her enemies. God answered her prayer when the stakes were the most high, and all could see she was pouring her soul out to God. When it seemed hopeless for man, that is when God stepped in and proved His power. His timing is essential. We do not have all the answers, and we cannot know the beginning from the end of anything in our life. God does know though. Hannah proved for us that when you wait on God— He will give you a peace that is unearthly, change your countenance, and bring a silence to all the haters out there.
Today: compile an unanswered prayer list of requests. Take a column to the left and write out your requests, on the right column leave a blank. Across the top write: “remember Hannah” as a reminder that God hears our prayers and answers them when it is best to answer them. This is a real faith builder. It isn’t your prayer as much as it is your God answering His hurting child. He loves you and desires to show Himself powerful.
If you would, read chapter 2.1-10, and you will see Hannah rejoice in the presence of her enemies. Yes, that is cool. She is happy, elated that God answered and showed Himself powerful. Part of her praise-prayer was prophetic— “The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (2.10). That isn’t just about the coming kings of Israel, but THE King of all kings… Jesus! Hannah was then able to praise the Lord for not only what HE did, but WHO HE is! Oh that we would learn to pray with that kind of heart today, before it’s too late.
I think one of the most beautiful verses here is verse 15— “And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” She did as we should… take the time to ‘pour out our soul’ to God. Stop what you’re doing and start right now.