I love the old hymns of the faith because they remind me of certain truths such as leaving everything to God in prayer. One such hymn that came to mind today is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". The first verse goes like this: "What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry / Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry/ Everything to God in prayer!" These lyrics were written by Joseph Scriven in 1855. The rest of the verses carry on this theme of turning over our concerns to the Lord. We need this reminder because it is so easy to try to shoulder the burdens of life on our own. The truth is....we can't.
Perhaps this is why I love the story of Hannah in I Samuel chapter 1. She was a woman with a big burden on her heart. She wanted to have children, but she had not be able to conceive. Elkannah, her husband, had a second wife Peninnah who was able to produce sons and daughters for her husband. Being barren, at that time, was considered a curse for a woman.
Being a devout man, Elkanah took his two wives and children to Shiloh to worship the Lord. On the day of sacrifice, he gave portions to this sons, daughters and his second wife Peninnah to eat, but to Hannah, he gave a double portion because of his love for her. She refused to eat because of her sorrow at being unable to produce children. To make matters worse, Peninnah would taunt her about being childless. It was painful enough to be in this situation, but to be reminded of it on a regular basis was more than Hannah could take.
Elkanah saw Hannah weeping and refusing to eat. He tried to comfort her, but to no avail. After the family had finished the meal, Hannah went to the Temple of the Lord to cry out to Him. While she prayed and wept, she made a vow to God that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the LORD. The priest, Eli, watched her lips moving but no sound came from her mouth. He thought she was perhaps an immoral woman who was drunk. He approached her with a rebuke, but she explained that she was pouring out her very heart to God and had no strong drink. With this explanation, Eli pronounced a blessing on her and she departed. Verse 18b sums up what happened after she left the temple: ..."Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." What a testimony to the power of prayer when we really let go of our concerns and place them in God's hands!
So often, we face things in this life that we cannot change by any direct action on our part. Perhaps it is a family problem, loss of employment or financial difficulties. Whatever the situation, God wants us to do exactly what Hannah did...He wants us to turn to Him. I love Hannah's reply to Eli the priest when he accused her of drinking too much in verse 15: "But Hannah answered, 'No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. 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 all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation." She was honest not only with Eli but with the LORD. She had literally reached out to God for help and trusted Him with this circumstance. We must do the same.
Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice on the cross, opened the door for us to commune directly with God. Therefore, we need to avail ourselves of this great privilege as believers. We may not be able to change things going on around us, but God can. He is our source fo comfort and power. Whatever burdens we carry today can be laid at His feet. Therefore, like Hannah, we can wipe away our tears and go about with a happy countenance knowing that God can more than handle our concerns. Selah!
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