“As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk.”
I Samuel 1:12-13 (NIV)
Devotion:
My car is equipped with a wonderful thing called Bluetooth. It is a hands-free way to communicate with my cell phone through my car. By pressing one button, I can contact anyone on my phone list and chat without holding a phone to my ear. I love it!
But it has also gotten me in trouble more than once.
A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend on Bluetooth as I drove in the city. I pulled up to a stop light and waited as other vehicles moved through their lanes. I was laughing at something my friend had said when out of the corner of my eye, I realized someone was staring at me.
I glanced over in the turning lane to my left and saw an elderly lady staring at me as I talked. It was obvious I had no cell phone in my hand and I have a feeling she had not heard of Bluetooth.
Her passenger’s window was down so I quickly smiled and waved her direction. She stared in the backseat of my car and then looked around me in the front seat. No one in the car except me. And yet she saw that my lips were moving as if I was carrying on a conversation. I was- but she couldn’t figure out who I was talking to in my car when it was obvious I was alone.
At the exact moment I lowered my window to explain what I was doing, I watched her passenger window begin to rise and I heard a click as she locked her car doors. And if that wasn’t enough, she gave me a “Don’t come near me I have mace and I know how to use it” look. Mercy.
Today’s Key Scripture from I Samuel 1:12-13 finds a woman who also appears to be speaking to no one in particular and even fools Eli the priest. He does not realize that Hannah is actually deep in prayer and assumes that she is drunk. He confronts her (verse14) and tells her to quit drinking and getting drunk. But she replies that she is simply pouring her heart out to the Lord because of the great sorrow in her life of not having a child.
That caused me to think about my prayer time. How much time do I spend pouring MY heart out to God?
Oh, I can spend a few minutes here and there with “popcorn prayers.” Prayers like “help me find the keys, Lord” or “give me strength, Jesus” and there’s nothing wrong with those prayers at all.
But how often do I kneel down and share from the depths of my soul to the One – the ONLY One – who can hear and answer?
My priority from this moment on is to find a quiet place to talk to my Father and to share my life with Him in prayer. He will never roll the window up on me as I explain everything in my life and wait on His answers.
My Prayer for Today:
Father, thank you for always listening when I come to you with my hurts and requests. Thank you for being a faithful Father to your children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Reflection:
How often do you set everything aside and simply sit before the Lord, emptying your heart of every worry or fear or concern and then listening for His voice?
Application:
Find a private place in your home or around your community (park bench) where you can pour your heart out before the Lord. Explain to your family that you need those minutes of uninterrupted time with Him.
Before you speak with the Lord ask your family if they have any concerns that you can lift to the Lord for them. Protect that time with the Creator of the Universe as you meet Him face to face, knowing that He will protect His time with you.
Power Verses:
I Samuel 1:12-13 (NIV) “As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk.”
Psalm 145:18 (NIV) “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV) “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
(For more of Nancy Hughes writing and information about her books, check out her website.)
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