1 Samuel 1:15–17 (ESV) —
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
NOTE: The important person in this story is Hannah. It is certainly not Eli who may be the worst example of a high priest in the bible. He certainly shows no spiritual acuity and he observes things from the surface, not from the heart. Additionally, he assumes the worse of a person, rather than the best. Eli is depicted in other passages with even more poor character qualities. He is not the hero of this story, it is Hannah. Hannah does what Sarah (Abraham's wife) is not recorded as having done, she prayed, whereas Sarah manipulated things in her power.
It is not hard to pray, but it is hard to wait. And I suppose it is hard to trust, because trusting involves waiting. Was that the first time Hannah prayed for a child? I doubt it. But she prayed, and she waited, and God answered. God always answers, the problem is he doesn't answer the way we want and we have to trust that his answer is best. It is not easy.
PONDER:
- What do I need to pray about?
- What do I need to wait for God?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the reminder to pray and the reminder to wait. That is what it means to trust. I may have to wait a long time and I may get a no, but I still need to pray and trust you for the answer.
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