Have you ever felt something so deeply and passionately that the only thing you could do was pray about it? I’ve only been overcome by prayer on a few very challenging circumstances in my life. Not all of them were bad, but they the one thing they did all have in common was an overwhelming emotional weight. In our reading today, we see Hannah overcome by the same feeling. Verse nine tells us Hannah and her family were at Shiloh, that is the place their family would travel to worship. Hannah is so overcome with grief and pain over not having a child she is driven to pray to the only power in her life that can help her, God Himself. Notice in her prayer, she begins with the title, “Lord Almighty” or your translation may read, “Lord of Hosts”. Both of these titles carry the same meaning. God is the Lord of the Heavenly Hosts. He and He alone is the commander of the angelic armies and the only Sovereign King over creation. In other words, there is no greater authority than God Himself to which she could take her request. She is appealing to the highest authority in the universe, the Creator God. In her prayer, she makes a vow to the Lord that if He would only allow her to have a son, she will dedicate him to the Lord’s service. The reference to the hair on the child’s head is a reference to the Nazarite Vow, or a vow of dedication to God. Hannah is in effect saying if the Lord will allow her to have a child, she will give that child back to the Lord. This is a powerful prayer for a woman so distraught with pain that she could not eat. Hannah pours her heart out in prayer despite her pain. Her faith is grounded in the knowledge that the Lord is in charge of everything.
Prayer:
Lord of Heaven, I know that You are the Sovereign Creator and King, but I do not often live like it. Please help me to live out by belief in Your powerful and immutable authority over everything in creation. Thank You Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
How does the belief in God’s all powerful command of the universe affect the way you live out your faith?
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