Movie prayers. It’s comical to me what Hollywood, as well as the rest of the world, thinks about prayer. Two specifically come to mind that are truly hilarious, Ben Stiller’s prayer in Meet the Parents and Will Ferrell’s in Talladega Nights. So often when we hear prayers, they are either formulaic, stiff, and formal like Stiller’s or just the opposite, being self-serving, short-sighted and filled with selfish requests like Ferrell’s. I think the view of prayer today in our society really comes our society’s view of God. Most see God as some type of cosmic slot machine, sometimes He will give you what you want and sometimes he won’t. And prayer is the coin you drop in to play the game.
What’s ironic about prayer is its true simplicity. If you are a son or daughter of the Living God, Jesus Christ, you will naturally want to talk to Him. If you still have your Earthly parents don’t you want to talk to them on a regular basis? Why is your Heavenly Father any different? Prayer is communicating with the Lord of your life. God gave you life, provides for your needs and lovingly guides you through the maze of this life. And I think considering the complexity of the maze, we should be talking to Him a lot.
Speaking of prayer, today we have the privilege of starting a new book in God’s Word, 1 Samuel. In Samuel we see the rise of the first king (Saul) and subsequently King David. We also of course see the rise of the prophet Samuel whom the books are named after. A main theme of Samuel is prayer. 1 Samuel chapter 1 opens in the theme of prayer and 2 Samuel chapter 24 closes in the theme of prayer. You see, there is and always will be one constant in life. God runs things. No matter what you think of God, it doesn’t change things, He’s still thoroughly in control of everything. And folks, if you have called upon Jesus to be your Savior, you have just been afforded the miracle of being able to talk to God.
In 1 Samuel chapter 1 we see the story of a family. What we would today call a dysfunctional family. Elkanah for whatever reason thought that one wife wasn’t enough, so he got two. Now just because it’s in the Bible doesn’t mean God condones it. Yes, polygamy was a societal norm in these days, but still God did not bless it. We see stories scattered all over God’s Word, including this one, of the massive trouble and anguish polygamy brings into lives. (See Abraham and Hagar, Jacob and Zilpah, David and his 8 wives, Solomon and his 700 wives) When we see polygamy in God’s Word, we see chaos, heartbreak, and turmoil. And God resides in none of those.
Elkanah has a big problem. One wife, Peninnah, is a troublemaker but she can have kids. His other wife, Hannah, has a good heart but cannot have kids. This creates quite the turbulent scene around Elkanah’s casa. Peninnah would tirelessly “provoke her (Hannah) grievously to irritate her because the Lord had closed her womb” (1 Sam 1:6) Trouble with a capital “T.” In fact scripture describes Peninnah as Hannah’s “rival” and says this provocation went on “year after year.” Ouch. Folks, if I had a time machine, I don’t think one of my first stops would be to Elkanah’s house.
In her pain and anguish, Hannah wants a baby. We see that Elkanah loves her more than Peninnah (another huge part of the problem I’m sure) but she just doesn’t feel complete if she cannot provide Elkanah a child like her rival. So, in a moment that we can only hope to mirror, Hannah goes to the only place she can go in her topsy-turvy, pain-infused life. She goes to God in prayer. And man does she pray.
“As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 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. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 1 Sam. 1:12-16
A few things to note here. First, the sad state of the temple in this day. We know from 1 Sam. 2:3 that two of the priests at this temple were the sons of the acting High Priest, Eli. His sons Hophni and Phineas will later be struck down by God for perverse sexual sins within the temple and misappropriation of temple assets. (1 Sam 4:11) Apparently, because of this, it was so common to have drunk women in the temple, that’s the first thing that Eli thinks when he encounters Hannah. And you think moral failure within the church today is something new?
The second thing to note is the tremendous passion within the prayer of Hannah. As we look at really connecting with God in prayer, there are 5 things we should note from Hannah’s prayer.
1) Hannah was speaking to God “in her heart.” No brain involved, no logic involved, no preconceived notions of what a prayer should be or sound like. Hannah is before her creator telling Him what her heart feels. Folks, God knows what’s in your heart, but the benefit of prayer is that we get to tell Him. He is a perfect and patient listener, tell God what is in your heart as you go to Him in prayer.
2) “Only her lips moved, her voice was not heard.” Folks, you can pray to God in any posture. You can open your eyes or close them. You can pray out loud or silently. You can kneel or stand. You can pray in a church building or on the moon. Don’t get caught up in formalities, talk to God. Anywhere, anytime, all the time.
3) Why is Hannah praying her heart out? “I am a woman troubled in Spirit.” Folks, when you find yourself feeling all knotted up inside, take it to God, it’s the first place you should go. In the morning, in the middle of your day, in the midst of an argument, when all seems like it’s falling apart…go to God in prayer. When you are troubled in Spirit, you can’t fix it yourself, it won’t just go away, and other people can’t fix it for you. Immediately, take it to God in prayer.
4) “for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” Poor Hannah was truly suffering. She had been getting tormented by Peninnah for years on end. I can only imagine the harsh, evil, hurtful things that were said to her by Peninnah. “You are useless, you can’t even give your husband a baby!” “You have no reason to be here, you can’t give him what he wants, why don’t you just leave?” I’m sure over the years, the pain of those words had etched deeply into her heart. They had been stored up and transformed into a state of constant unease and uncontrollable exasperation. And for this reason, Hannah was crying out to God in prayer. For healing. For sanity. For peace. She believed God could give her these things…and she would be right.
5) And in one of my favorite verses… “I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” Folks, our hearts are like a sponge. They absorb the things in our life and the things of this world. They can soak up love, affection, goodness and compassion. But our hearts can also soak up abuse, shame, guilt, anger and hatred. And folks, if not protected, the heart can become filled with the latter. And if it’s filled with the latter, you’ve got to act. You’ve got to wring that sponge and empty out the bitterness, anxiety, grief, and frustration. Hannah poured out her soul before the Lord. She gave it all to God. She had finally gotten tired of carrying around that burden and she decided to drop it at the feet of God. And after she dropped that weight? Her heart changed.
“Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, her face radiant. 1 Sam 1:17-18
As she gave her burdens to God, her countenance changed drastically. She came into the temple “deeply distressed and weeping bitterly” (1 Sam 1:10) and walked out a free woman, radiantly glowing with the peace of God. You see, we’re not meant to carry the burdens of this life; we were built to pour them out at the feet of Jesus. If you are attempting to carry your own burdens today, life will trouble your spirit just as Hannah. The anxiety and vexation of life’s problems will be too much for you. But God made a provision, a miraculous provision. Prayer. Today, go to God, pour out your heart and give it all to Him. He can handle whatever you give Him.
Pray hard.
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