She’s Annoying Me Again (Part 3)

Family holidays can be trying times!

Elkanah took his family to Jerusalem to celebrate before the Lord. It was supposed to be a special family time. Yet, Penninah always made sure that Hannah did not have a good time, taunting her. It’s easy to understand in some ways — they were rivals for Elkanah’s love. Yet, Penninah knew she had blessings that Hannah did not — at least four times over for she had both sons and daughters, so she must have had at least two of each. She could have just left her alone — but maybe in some way, she was jealous of Hannah, angry that Elkanah honored her, even though she had no children. Elkanah even had to encouage Hannah to eat!

After the family ate, Hannah went to pray.

1 Samuel 1:10 – 13

Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears. Making a vow, she pleaded, “LORD of hosts, if you will take notice of Your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord, all the days of his life and his hair will never be cut.”

While she continued praying in the LORD’s presence , Eli watched her lips. Hannah was praying silently, and though her lips were moving her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk

I have not done enough of what Hannah did — go to God, taking my hurts to him and being willing to cry in front of him (verse 10). Verse 12 says Hannah prayed silently in the Lord’s presence. In verse 16 Hannah told Eli that she was ‘ praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment”. Wow — she wasn’t praying from the Lord’s anointing, from joy, from His grace, from the mountaintop — she was praying from anguish and resentment — and she was still in his presence! No matter, what we face, who we have to deal with, whether or not we will be falsely judged or what mood we’re in — Let us pray! God is able to hear us and He will answer us.

copyright: K Carswell, 2020

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Stand Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Homan Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.