GodReflection: Talking with God.
When Jesus wept with Mary and Martha at the grave of their brother, who was also his close friend, we see the portrait of our God who is touched by our sorrow.
As pain beyond human comprehension invades our lives from Ukrainian interviews and pictures, we witness hearts bursting with indescribable hurt. We can’t imagine the prayers of anguish poured out to God from inconsolable hearts.
It is a rare—to nonexistent—person who goes through life without a broken heart. Every one of us has encountered times when there were no words to describe the pain of brokenness, loss, and sorrow.
Scattered across the pages of our Bibles are prayers from those who have walked across life before our own life trek. Immediately, I hear the agony of David’s prayer cry at the death of his son Absalom and the pain of Jesus’ Soul as he pours out his heart before the crucifixion.
This morning I am drawn to another heartbroken example.
Hannah lived over three thousand years ago. I can make a lengthy list of obstacles that make it almost impossible to relate to Hanna. I have no comprehension of the depth of the difficulties she faced in life. She had not one of the conveniences that I take for granted with each sunrise since I live in the twenty-first century western hemisphere.
Nor can I imagine her home complications as she competes with a co-wife for the love and attention of their husband, Elkanah. Hanna’s story is one of the simple people who loved God. The text reveals only one negative in their homelife: her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children, this went on year after year (1 Samuel 1:6-7).
I suppose, almost all of us can recall a time in our life when we were the target of another’s taunts. The more they perceived their ill effect upon us, the more delight they demonstrated as increasingly they rubbed it in.
The pain is unbearable. Hannah can’t take it anymore. We would say it happen at church. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite (1 Samuel 1:7).
Finally, she’s had enough.
Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary . . . Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably (1 Samuel 9-10).
The desires of her heart begin to form words. Words so painful she dares not say them aloud. Her lips quiver and move. Not a sound is heard. Tears of emotion flow from her eyes and run down her face. Silently she pleads: “O Lord of the host, if only you will look on the misery of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.”
Her actions and distress catch the eye of the old priest Eli who presides over worship that morning. Something isn’t right.
Perhaps it has been a long time—if ever—since he has seen a heart poured out before The Holy with such fervor. No, something isn’t right. This woman must be drunk. Has she brought a bottle of wine to church? Men—and especially women—don’t pray like this. Yes, she must be drunk.
“You’re drunk! How long do you plan to keep this up? Sober up, woman!” Upon accusation, Hannah describes the state of her soul. “Oh no, sir—please! I’m a woman broken-hearted. I haven’t been drinking. Not a drop of wine or beer. The only thing I’ve been pouring out is my heart, pouring it out to God. Don’t for a minute think I am a bad woman. It’s because I’m so desperately unhappy and in such pain that I’ve stayed here so long. Think well of me—and pray for me.”
So, the old priest gives his blessing then we read the climax of this historical account. Then she ate heartily, her face radiant. Up before dawn, they worshipped God and returned home to Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked (1 Samuel 1:19).
Caught between the impossible and the possible, it is one of God’s stories that is always a faith builder as I read.
Her heart poured out before God she is content. No matter the answer, what is important is the fact God heard. He will respond. It will be God’s will. After her talk with God, from her demeanor of a radiant face, renewed appetite, joyous sleep, and early morning worship, I suspect she echoes Jesus’ future prayer, “Yet, not my will but yours be done.”
To her delight, God honors her request and Samuel is born. Without hesitation, Hannah sets out to honor God’s gift FULLY by doing exactly what she promised. She returns her new little boy to The Holy as her gift of gratitude.
Then comes the wonderful summation of God’s generosity and of the answer that turns Hanna’s tears to joy.
Hannah prayed: I’m bursting with God-news! walking on air. . . I’m dancing my salvation (1 Samuel 2:1) God was most especially kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters! The boy Samuel stayed at the sanctuary and grew up with God (1 Samuel 2:21). 
How rich are the times we witness obvious answers when we pour out our hearts to The Holy who loves us beyond our wildest imagination!
I must end with this thought. I suspect in the next reality, each of us will receive a beautiful gift of a Grand Joy Box—at once we will see with eternal thankfulness, exactly how God has answered EVERY PRAYER we poured out to him in this life. And we will see our eternal good in each answer. Like Hanna, we will be bursting with God-news, walking on air, dancing in salvation.
Maybe we should pour out our hearts to our Father God more often. I bet he can’t wait to answer with his goodness. What do you think?
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection, Hannah Pours Out Her Hearts to God.
God Reflection 