Friday, March 27

Scripture: Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. (1 Samuel 1:12).

Observation: The Book of 1 Samuel opens with the story of Hannah. Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, have struggled with infertility for their entire marriage, leaving Hannah childless. Meanwhile, Elkanah had children with his other wife, Peninnah, and Peninnah would ridicule and look down on Hannah for not being a mother. Elkanah would take his family on an annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, where the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were being kept. During one of these trips, Hannah went to the tabernacle by herself to pray to God. She asked God for a son, and in return, Hannah promised to offer her son to God’s service as a nazirite. A nazirite was someone who was not a Levite, so technically not obligated to serve in the tabernacle, but who was sworn to serve God as if they were a Levite and who abstained from all alcohol and haircuts because they were set apart to be God’s instrument. Hannah promised to surrender her child to lifelong service in the tabernacle as a Nazirite, if God would grant her a son. Both God and Hannah will eventually live up to their ends of the bargain, but before they do, we’re allowed a glimpse of Hannah’s prayer life. Hannah prays silently. Her lips move but no sound comes out. The priest Eli, who had responsibility for the tabernacle, saw Hannah’s lips moving and thought she was drunk. But when Eli chastised her for being drunk in public, Hannah said, “I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:15). Hannah is the drink being poured out to God. She empties her heart before God like an open wine bottle turned upside down. We don’t need to hear Hannah’s words to believe the ferocity of her prayer life. Eli came to the same conclusion and told Hannah that whatever it was she was praying for (because he didn’t hear it) would surely come to pass.

Application: Hannah is a model of praying- not prayer, but praying. Hannah shows us how to do the thing, the actual practice of praying. The actual words we say are important but much more important, and indeed the most important thing, is the posture of the heart. Praying is a heart turned toward God. Once the heart turns toward God, whatever happens next is praying. The praying may take the form of verbal human language, but you can take the verbal language out of praying and it still be praying. Examples include shouting in grief, shouting in praise, knees on the floor, whispers that never form a word, lament at the state of the world, hands put to meaningful work, delight in creation, gratitude for being given people to love. What makes a thing praying is the heart turned toward God. It is because Eli had grown accustomed to people whose hearts were turned away from God, even though they said words that might pass as prayers, that he didn’t instantly recognize the real deal of praying before his eyes. Hannah is the real deal. The posture of her heart is the open wine bottle turned upside down pouring itself at the feet of the Maker.

Prayer:

The praying You desire is my heart uncorked and turned upside-down and poured out before You. Praying is shouting in pain, glee of praise, knees on the floor, lament at the world, whispers without forming words, hands put to meaningful work, delight in creation, gratitude for being given people to love. May my body like the blooming rose bush outside my window follow the direction of my heart turned toward the Light, doing what comes naturally for a bit of creation that approaches the Light as what it is - thorny and dirty and sturdy and beautiful - using words only when necessary, and opening up to what You have to say, for You also use words only when necessary. Onward we go: Amen.