HANNAH AND ROSH HASHANAH!

"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Micah 7:19

Here we are again, finding ourselves about to announce "Happy New Year". According to the Jewish calendar, the New Year has now arrived. Starting at dusk, or around 6:00pm, Jewish believers will celebrate their New Year. Rosh Hashanah kicks off what is known as the high holy season, ushering in the holidays of Yom Kippur and Sukkoth. In short, Rosh Hashanah follows the 30 days of the month of Elul as a two day celebration.
One of the greatest illustrations of the blessing of Rosh Hashanah comes from I Samuel 1. We read in I Samuel 1:11 a portion of the prayer prayed by Hannah after she excused herself from the table. “Then she took a vow; she said, ‘ADONAI-Tzva'ot, if you will notice how humiliated your servant is, if you will remember me and not forget your servant but will give your servant a male child, then I will give him to ADONAI for as long as he lives; and no razor will ever come on his head.’” When Eli the cohen (priest) saw Hannah with lips moving, he assumed her to be drunk and offered words of wisdom to her concerning her drinking habits. But once he realized that she had been praying, in faith he replied that Adonai had indeed heard her prayer (I Sam 1:17). Yet why was Hannah's request for a son granted? The answer is because she already had the idea of what she would do when she had him. She purposed that if she had a son, she would give him over to Adonai's service. May I then suggest that Adonai wants to bless us, but He wants to know why? He wants to know the purpose for why He should bless us.
Think of it as such. A man who wants to build a house for Adonai may not have all the tools needed to do so. For instance, he is lacking a hammer. Would it not be wise for the man to pray something along the lines of, “Adonai, I want to build You this home, but I need a hammer.” As He provided a son for Hannah with purpose known, so then He would also provide a hammer for this person who knows the purpose but lacks the means.
Can I suggest that in this season, as we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, that we do celebrate the sweetness of the holiday, we do empty our pockets and allow our confession to be heard and forgiven, and we do increase our giving. But may I also suggest that like Hannah, we come before Adonai not with a list of wants, but with purpose known. Praying with the reason instead of just praying because we want something seems like it will make the difference, and keep us focused.
There is so much more to write concerning this high holy day, but the theme and purpose have not changed and despite beliefs, is not only for the Jewish people. It is a message for us all. As we stand on the brink of a spiritual new year, let us also prepare. This is a season of new beginnings, and I cannot wait to go deeper with Adonai and see just what He does for me this year.