...prayer

Where do you see prayer in your life? Have you taken the time to initiate prayer in your daily comings and goings? Have you experienced the power of prayer, the power of answered prayers?

I started a new adult Bible Study this week, and when I sat down to choose the focus I found 1 Samuel. Now I will be honest, I didn't take the time to pray, to ask God where he was leading this group. But even in my weakest moments God is stronger, and already he has opened my eyes to this. What do you think of when I say 1 Samuel? Do you think...boring?...more history?...it probably wont interest me? I have to tell you, 1 Samuel is packed with everyday wisdom for you and me.

In the opening chapter of 1 Samuel we get a glimpse of a woman, Hannah. The story opens with the introduction of Elkanah, and he has two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Now what just a minute, a man of God having two wives? (Because Israel did not have an earthly king to enforce the law, it is thought that the the people of Israel did what was pleasing in their own eyes. In a sense they turned their backs on God's law to get what they wanted. Kind of sounds like the world we live in today.) Anyway, here we have two wives, one has many children (Peninnah) and the other has none (Hannah). Not to step on any toes here, but the social and economic status of a woman in these days heavily rested on the production of children. If you were a woman who could not have children you were of little use, "be fruitful and multiply" Genesis 1:28. Now if that is not hard enough, imagine being only one of two wives and the "other" wife has produced many children. And to make it even worse Peninnah takes every chance she can to lord over Hannah the fact that she had no children of her own. Stop right there!

At this point in the story, if I were Hannah, I would be mad...oh I would be irate. I would probably want a meeting with God, I would want answers. Why am I barren? Why have you put this on me? What did I do to deserve this? You see what is happening here, I am placing the blame on God, I am taking my insecurities and turning them into fire to throw at God. I see this happening a lot today, I see misplaced trust or misguided faith. As if to say that God owes me something, that his will better be to make my life easier. But Hannah does not respond like me, she doesn't cry out with anger and demand. Hannah lives in this passage by faith, and though it doesn't say those words, we see it in her actions. What does Hannah do when she feels beaten down, when life gave her lemons? Hannah goes to God in prayer, she goes to the temple to speak to God (1:10). She pleads with the Lord. Hannah is pouring out her soul to the Lord, she is praying.

Do you see what she is doing here? Hannah is allowing God to carry her burdens, she is relying on God, her faith is in God. Lord, I can't carry this load alone, please help me. She could have turned her back on Elkanah and on Peninnah and walked away, she could have said I don't need this crap anymore. I'm done! And to top it off the high priest sees Hannah praying, he sees her lips moving but no words and thinks she is drunk! Hannah is deeply hurting, unloading this hurt onto God and she is taken for a drunken woman. (Boy, I would be furious, you're gonna interrupt me?) But Hannah does not get angry, she turns and explains to Eli her actions, her reason for prayer. Hannah walks out of the temple that day with her head held high and a smile on her face...she was happy.

I look at her story and the events that follow and think about a God who understands. I look at Hannah and wonder if I could live the way she does, if I could walk with God through the hardships she dealt with daily. Hannah had a strong faith that led her to God in prayer in those moments of weakness, anxiety, and vexation. Prayer is our open line, our connection to a Father who loves to hear from us, who wants to hear our hurts and our triumphs. We often go to God when we need something, when we are hurting...but we often forget to go back when we triumph, when he takes our lemons are turns them into lemonade. God wants to hear the good and the bad, he wants us to have a strong faith, one that leads us in prayer. You wanna walk with God, you wanna feel his love and his power...you will find that love and power in prayer.

If you look at 1 Samuel 2:1-10, you will see Hannah's Song or Prayer. This is her prayer of triumph, God has turned her lemons into lemonade and she praises him for that. What a truly powerful prayer. There are similarities and parallels in Mary's Song (Luke 1:46-55) and David's Prayer (2 Samuel 22).