Daily D – 1 Samuel 1:15-16

by | Apr 9, 2022 | Daily D | 0 comments

David G Bowman Logo

1 Samuel 1:15, 16  “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.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:15-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/1sa.1.15-16.NIV

“Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/1sa.1.16.NLT

Have you ever entered into a state of prayer and did not care who was watching or what they thought? Hannah was at such a point in her life. Listen carefully to her explanation when the old priest Eli accused her of drunkenness. 

“I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.”

Some grief and some desires cause such deep passion we cannot help but turn to God in longing prayer. 

“I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Our moods shape the words we use when we pray. Hannah felt great anguish and grief. A prayer along the lines of, “Now I lay me down to sleep,” would have been completely insufficient for the moment. A prayer written by someone else and read aloud could not contain the emotion of Hannah’s heart. 

Hannah was resolved to talk to God alone without a priest as an intermediary, without the presence and companionship of her husband, without any concern regarding what anyone considered fit and proper. Take a look at verse 9:

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.

Hannah stood up. 

We most often think of people who pray from a place of deep anguish as kneeling or prostrating themselves. Hannah stood up. Some burdens can only be borne while standing. Her trust in God was strong. Her words were silent. Her passion was deep. 

In contrast to Eli’s sons who dishonored the priesthood, Hannah honored God by going directly to him with the sorrows of her heart. God spoke to Eli about his sons’ behavior by saying in part, “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained,” (2:30). 

Hannah honored God. God honored Hannah. He answered her prayer with a joyful, “Yes!” His answer blessed not only Hannah, but all of Israel.

Psalm 99:6 says, 

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord and he answered them.
 

The psalmist could have added Hannah to his short list of powerfully prayerful forebears. He did include Hannah’s little boy Samuel whose name means, Heard by God. (See verse 20.)

When she delivered him to the old priest Eli to serve God, she said, 

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.
So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”
And he worshiped the Lord there. 
(verses 27, 28)
  • What posture does your prayer require today? 
  • What attitude of heart and mind are you in as you approach our Father in heaven? 
  • What burdens do you bear as you enter his presence? 
  • How will what you seek from him honor him and benefit others?

I will pray according to the need of the moment with posture fitting the attitude of my humbled heart and mind.

Our Father, teach us to pray not only for our own personal desires but for answers that will overflow to the benefit of others. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Amen. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

          Church Unique Logo          Auxano Logo

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Psalm 37:5-6

Psalm 37:5, 6
Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Daily D – Habakkuk 3:17-19

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!

Daily D – Psalm 36:5-6

Psalm 36:5, 6
God’s love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.

Daily D – Jonah 1:3

Jonah 1:3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Daily D – Psalm 25:12

Psalm 25:12
The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live.