And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 1 Samuel 1:15
One day in our Grade 12 economics class, I reached down to scratch an itchy ankle. To do so, I had to turn my head sideways as I leaned over to reach the ankle. The teacher, who also happened to be the principal of the school, saw me and immediately began to scold me for staring out the window when I was supposed to be listening to him. I felt humiliated. And I also felt wronged. I had not been staring out the window, and I wished for years afterwards that I had had the nerve to tell him so. OK, I’ll admit now that it was probably best that I kept quiet. But nobody likes to be accused of things they haven’t done; it hurts, and it’s unfair. Our text today is an example of someone who did speak up after being wrongly accused of being drunk in the tabernacle. But in Hannah’s response, we see sweetness of soul, respect for God’s servant, and an explanation that stands as an example to all who have a prayer burden before the Lord.
In proper deferential terms, Hannah explains to Eli that it is her sorrowful spirit – and not wine – that has caused her to appear to him to be drunken. Although she received the assurance from the high priest that her prayer would be answered, the answer was not in his assurance but in the fact that she had poured out her soul before the Lord. That is where we find God’s fulfilment of our most earnest desires.
The expression ‘poured out my soul before the Lord’ holds the key to prevailing prayer, regardless of how misunderstood it is by the world or by other Christians. It is what the Scriptures are referring to when they declare that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). It reminds us that our personal prayers must be far more than a ritualistic reciting of a list of desires. There is not much pouring out of the soul in that. What Hannah was referring to was a deep longing for the Lord’s blessing, along with a firm commitment on her part. Her prayer with its solemn vow, recorded in verse 11, was for a son who she would give to the Lord. We marvel at her unselfishness. But that too is part of the pouring out of the soul. She was prepared to do whatever the Lord required of her for her prayer to be heard and granted. When we pray, do we include a commitment to do whatever is needed on our part? Such a commitment might be very costly. But such a commitment indicates true desire for blessing. And if God honoured Hannah’s fervency, He will surely honour ours.
What do we desire of the Lord? Let us like Hannah of old pour out our souls before the Lord. We will enter into dealings with God that those around us can’t understand. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/Xqx3nrbl84k