Devotions
Rev Gav
Heard
1 Samuel 1.9–20
After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.’
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.’ Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.’ And she said, ‘Let your servant find favour in your sight.’ Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.
They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the Lord.’
Reflect
The name Samuel means ‘God has heard’ or ‘name of God’ and in today’s Bible Story we read how God heard Hannah’s plea to bear a child.
At the beginning of the story (you can read about it in yesterday’s devotion) Hannah’s husband had not really listened to her, and today we have Eli, the priest, assuming she was drunk! Talk about guys getting it wrong?! But then, he did listen to her and, as a priest and God’s representative, he presented her request to God.
I am not sure I am equipped to unpack her plea that included a bargain — “If you answer my prayer then I will do xyz” — and I am not convinced God is swayed by our promises, but it is not invalid to make offerings or promises to God as an example of our authenticity and genuineness.
Some commentators assert that Hannah returned home convinced that God would answer her prayers, but the text only states that, “her countenance was sad no longer.” I think we can accept that she had inner peace.
There is something powerful about prayer, and even more so, prayer being validated by another Christian. Because God lives in each of us by the Holy Spirit, when we pray before another and have our prayer affirmed, or them pray for us, we have a deep sense of assurance that God has heard us. And, whether or not our requests are answered, we gain an inner peace from knowing our requests are in God’s hands.
I think, as Christians, we under-estimate the power of prayer to bring peace into the lives of others. It is not always the outcome of the prayer that matters but the being heard by God that brings peace into troubled, anxious lives.
When someone shares that they are grieving or in pain, offer to pray with them — and I do not mean to offer to ‘keep them in your prayers’. I mean, offer to pray with them there and then, wherever you are. And if they say yes, then go for it. Be bold. The way to pray is simple. Invite God into their situation and God will come.
You are a priest and a minister of Jesus Christ. You do not have to be eloquent, have it all together, or have undergone formal training. You can be God’s presence, you can listen, and you can pray.
Pray
Holy God
Please help me to be
someone who listens
and who is sensitive
to the needs of others.
May I be bold to offer
prayer and invite you
into the lives of
those I encounter.
and then