The Heart's Prayer

1 Samuel 1:12 - 16 (King James Version)

¹²And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth

¹³Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

¹⁴And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

¹⁶Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

1 Samuel 1:12 - 16 (The Message)

^{12 -14} It so happened that as she continued in prayer before God, Eli was watching her closely. Hannah was praying in her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. Eli jumped to the conclusion that she was drunk. He approached her and said, "You're drunk! How long do you plan to keep this up? Sober up, woman!"

^{15 -16} Hannah said, "Oh no, sir—please! I'm a woman hard used. I haven't been drinking. Not a drop of wine or beer. The only thing I've been pouring out is my heart, pouring it out to God. Don't for a minute think I'm a bad woman. It's because I'm so desperately unhappy and in such pain that I've stayed here so long."

Word in Action:

Don't be so quick to judge people.

1 Samuel, Chapter 1 introduces us to a very broken woman named Hannah. Through the Scripture, we learn that Hannah's pain comes from her barrenness. Her desire to have children brings her to a point of desperation that paralyzes her from enjoying any other part of her life. She is stuck.

Now Eli, the "super-Christian" sees Hannah and immediately assumes the worst. Interestingly enough, Eli is a high priest but he doesn't immediately think to inquire of God (or even Hannah) to get an understanding of the situation. He thinks that Hannah is drunk so he reprimands her.

A lot of times, we act just like Eli. We see people struggling with something and shout out what we think is the right solution before we even know what the true issue is. Acting in our judgmental nature could end up bringing more hurt than healing to the people we are trying to help.

Fortunately, Hannah gets a chance to set Eli straight. Contrary to what he thought, she was actually pouring out her heart to God in the only way possible for her at that time. There are seasons in our lives when we struggle to find the words to vocalize our heartache. During those times, the people around us may not understand. But, God always does.

It's amazingly comforting to know that God hears the prayers of our hearts. While He wants you to come and talk with Him about the things that concern us, He knows what we need, even before we ask.

If you continue on through 1 Samuel, you will learn that God gave Hannah the desires of her heart. Her son Samuel was one of the most well-known biblical prophets. While Hannah had to endure a season of sorrow, God restored her joy in a way that not only blessed her, but also blessed the world!

Declaration of Faith:

I will be sensitive to the heart cry of others and trust that God hears my heart's prayer.

Song of Praise: