“Let Your Servant

Find Favor In Your Sight”

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; 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 I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Them Eli answered, “Go, in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

1 Samuel 1:1-18

Whatever we do, before we can complete a single thought, our alter egos tear the thought to shreds. It is common to us, as humans. Satan loves to distract us with criticism, and he tries to get us to use it on others as well as ourselves. We judge prematurely and try to correct others before we know what they are saying. That is what Eli the priest did when Hannah was crying out to God. He interrupted her prayer and accused her of being drunk.

But God lets us pour out our hearts to Him in full honesty. In fact, the Psalms indicate that it is when we are expressing our doubts and fears that God resolves them. Many of the Psalms that begin in despair end in praise.

When a battle is raging inside, pour our your soul before the LORD. He can make sense out of what seems senseless.

Prayer does not make God see things as we see them;

it helps us see things as God sees them.

Our Daily Bread – March 5, 2007