1 Samuel 1:10, 13 There are times when we may feel invisible to God. When we go through
difficult circumstances or are in a wilderness season.
Our hearts are poured like running water. Yet it may feel like our words are
falling on deaf ears.
We feel unseen, unheard.
Hannah may have felt that way as she endured the taunts of her rival
Peninnah. Both women were married to a man named Elkanah. Peninnah
was able to bear children, but Hannah was not, but desired to have children
of her own.
We wrestle internally, in our souls
Hannah, however, was a woman of fervent prayer. In the midst of dealing with the provocation of an enemy that constantly reminded her of what she did not have...she sought the Lord.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
Bitterness comes from the Hebrew word “mara”, which means angry, discontented and heavy.
Hanna’s soul, and ours too, can feel bitterness and heavy discontentment because of an unfulfilled dream or disappointment. But Hannah didn’t let her discontentment stop her from drawing near the Lord in prayer.
We don't know the duration of her anguish, but we know her persistence. There are times we feel like Hannah. We wrestle internally, in our souls, crying out to the Lord.
She may have felt at times that God didn’t see her as she wrestled in her spirit. We wrestle in our soul, and it may seem like God isn’t seeing us.
But God!
God sees our unseen pain.
He sees the unseen. Her husband, Elkanah, didn’t see how much Hannah was struggling with not being able to have children. Eli, the priest, didn’t recognize the pain she was in when she went to the temple to worship. But God saw her.
13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
Hannah continued intensely in prayer to the Lord in her heart, to the point that when Eli saw her, he thought she was drunk.
Hannah explained to him that she was not drunk, but said:
“No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
The Lord saw Hannah pouring out her soul to Him. The Lord heard her heart when she was praying. And the Lord answered Hannah’s prayer. She gave birth to Samuel, one of the most prominent prophets and judges of Israel.
Hannah's story reminds us:
God sees our unseen pain. He understands the depths of our struggles, even when others don't.
He hears our silent prayers. The intentions of our heart matter more than the volume of our voice.
He answers. In God’s perfect timing, He responds to the cries of our hearts.
Even when we feel invisible, God sees us. When our prayers seem unheard, God hears us.
Your cries are not in vain. He sees, He hears, and He will answer.
Comments