Day 37 — Pouring Out Your Heart

Day 37 · Drawing Near in Prayer · 1 Samuel 1:9-20 (NET2)

Hannah brings deep grief to the Lord when others do not understand her. Her prayer is neither polished nor publicly impressive. God hears her, and this account records his particular answer in Samuel’s birth; it is not a promise that every request for a child will be answered in the same way. Hannah’s story invites us to bring our pain honestly to God and entrust ourselves to his care.

Request

Father, receive the grief I find hard to put into words. Amen.

Read

1 Samuel 1:9-20

⁹ So Hannah got up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh.
At the time Eli the priest was sitting in his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s sanctuary. ¹⁰ As for Hannah, she was very distressed. She prayed to the Lord and was, in fact, weeping. ¹¹ She made a vow saying, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you would truly look on the suffering of your servant, and would keep me in mind and not neglect your servant, and give your servant a male child, then I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life. His hair will never be cut.”

¹² It turned out that she did a great deal of praying before the Lord. Meanwhile Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ As for Hannah, she was speaking in her mind. Only her lips were moving; her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was a drunkard.

¹⁴ Then he said to her, “How much longer do you intend to get drunk? Put away your wine!” ¹⁵ But Hannah replied, “Not so, my lord! I am a woman under a great deal of stress. I haven’t drunk wine or beer. But I have poured out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman. It’s just that, to this point, I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

¹⁷ Eli replied, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the request that you have asked of him.” ¹⁸ She said, “May I, your servant, find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and got something to eat. Her face no longer looked sad.

¹⁹ They got up early the next morning. Then they worshiped the Lord and returned to their home at Ramathaim. Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord called her to mind. ²⁰ Then Hannah became pregnant.
In the course of time she gave birth to a son. And she named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the Lord for him.”

Scripture: NET Bible, Second Edition (NET2).

Reflect

1. How does Hannah bring her distress to God despite being misunderstood?
2. What burden could you honestly pour out before the Lord today?

Restate

Describe what this passage teaches about bringing sorrow to God without controlling his answer.

Respond

Let the passage guide your prayer. Use these prompts in your own words:

• Praise: Praise God for hearing the distressed.
• Thanksgiving: Thank him that you do not need impressive words.
• Confession: Confess hiding pain behind a religious appearance.
• Intercession: Pray tenderly for those grieving infertility or another unmet longing.
• Petition: Ask for help to trust him while you wait.

Carry it into today: Tell God plainly about one painful longing, without forcing yourself to sound cheerful.