ON THE VANGUARD

HANNAH’S PRAYER
“Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk…”
I Samuel 1:13

Have you ever had such a desire in your heart that you find yourself unable to let it go? I’m not referring to an addictive desire, but a true God given desire. For some it may be the desire to get out of debt, which is Biblical as we are instructed to be the lender and not borrower (Prov 22:7). For others it may be the perusal of a business of their own as they desire to run in the passions God has given them. But for Hannah, in I Samuel 1, her desire was a family, and she found herself in prayer many times with this request, until…
Before we look at Hannah’s prayer, though, let us look at her circumstance. The Bible records that Elkanah, a descendent from the tribe of Ephraim, had taken for himself two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had been able to have children, but Hannah had none. Despite all the times of trying in her intimate moments with her husband, she continued to find herself lacking what she desired the most, a child. Year after year, as the family would travel to Shiloh to worship the LORD, Elkanah would give a portion of the meat sacrificed to Peninnah, her sons, and her daughters, but then give a double portion of meat to Hannah, as a way to reaffirm to her that she was just as loved by him even if together they had no children. But despite her husband’s kindness, it was not the same with Peninnah. Whenever Hannah would go to the house of the LORD, Peninnah was there to provoke her, taunting and ridiculing her until she would break down and cry. Year after year nothing changed, until…
During one of the family’s visits, when Hannah had finished her meal and probably her yearly dose of being teased, she got up and left the table. Unable to hold it any longer, she began to weep bitterly. This caused concern by Eli the Priest, who had more than likely seen a portion of the events as the meal had gone on. He watched Hannah cry, lips moving but lacking noise, and thought she may be under the influence of wine. In reality, though, Hannah was once again pouring her heart out to God. She was pleading with God, “Please give me a son, and I will give him back into your service.” Her heart was being limited only by the words she was speaking, until…
Eli approached Hannah and began to ask her about her drinking problem. I’m sure this came as a shock to Hannah who was probably very sober at the time, but nonetheless she made a point to explain that she was not drunk but rather troubled and calling out to the LORD. But then, not knowing even what she had been praying about, Eli offered her comfort and answered her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” With that she went back to her table and continued eating her meal. The family left Shiloh the next day and headed back home. At the right time, Elkanah lay with Hannah again. Nothing had been conceived in her body in these intimate moments, until… this time, when Hannah became pregnant.
It wasn’t that Hannah had a special prayer lined up to recite to God when she got to Shiloh, but rather that she refused to give up on the passion that God had placed in her heart. And failing to give up created a stronger well from which her heart drew when she poured it all out before God. This is a lesson that God has been showing me lately. There are desires that God has placed deep in my heart, and quite frankly, I have become annoyed that they have not come to pass. I have the promise; I have the desire; but I have no end result. Yet what God shows me is that I must not give up. How many years did Hannah pray the same prayer before God opened her womb? All we know is the Bible says “year after year.” Is that two, five, ten? God has placed my desires in me, and your desires in you, for a reason. We must not give up in praying them through or we may indeed lose the vision and passion. There will be an end result coming, but we must continue in our prayers, until…