1 Samuel 1: 9-20
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.” Then 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.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Bring Our Pain to God
Hannah is described as deeply distressed, deeply troubled, and bitterly weeping. Full of woe, Hannah presents herself to the Lord, prays, and pours out her soul to God (1 Samuel 1:15). What an expression of faith amidst her intense grief! Having made her sorrows known, Eli eventually blesses Hannah and intercedes on her behalf. Hannah’s prayers for an heir are answered, calling to mind Matthew 7:7 “Ask and you shall receive”. When we are experiencing intense sorrow and sadness in our own lives do we present our messy and troubled selves to God? Do we bring our grief, pain, and anxieties to God, or do we suffer silently on our own? Let us call to mind how Hannah acted in the midst of her misery and channel her great faith in directly communicating with God, especially at our lowest points and most difficult moments when life can be especially challenging.
—Carl Caceres, SJ, is a Midwest Province Jesuit working on a doctoral degree in higher education and doing spiritual direction at Loyola University.
Prayer
We pray to you, O Lord,
Let us recall to mind
the great faith of your servant, Hannah
Help us to also pour out our soul to you
especially when we are suffering,
struggling, and grieving the wounds that life brings
Give us strength, courage and perseverance
to bring our troubles to you in prayer
and to ask You for what we need and desire
For it is You who can wipe away our tears
And give use the peace we seek
Amen
—Carl Caceres, SJ
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