“I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.”
1 Samuel 1:15 NLT
We all have something stirring in our hearts – whether a praise, an uncertainty, a fear, an unmet desire, or a frustration – something – going on inside of us.
For Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, it was the frustration of having no children. The Lord has closed her womb. She was frustrated, annoyed, and being ridiculed by her husband’s other wife who had children.
Hannah didn’t harden her heart against The Lord in her plight. Instead, she kept her heart soft toward Him and knew He was still good. Still listening. Still compassionate.
What did Hannah do?
1) She poured her heart out to The Lord.
“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.”
1 Samuel 1:15
The Hebrew word for pour here is
“Shaphak” – meaning to gush out, to spill forth, to sprawl out.
In other places in scripture, Hebrew word for “pour” is used in reference to a drink offering.
Which means, ladies, that when we pour our heart out to The Lord, it pleases Him the way that pouring out a drink offering offering pleased Him in the Old Testament!!!
Just let it out, girls! Move your lips, like Hannah did. God knows your heart, but He wants you to express it to him. It is pleasing to Him. It blesses Him.
2) Pour out what’s really in there. Don’t sugarcoat it.
“Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
1 Samuel 1:16
Hannah spoke out of her hurt to The Lord. She didn’t mix it with superficial, surface level praise. She let it all gush out.
Real. Pain. Hurt.
She opened the spout and leaned the pitcher of her heart out on the altar.
She opened the spout and leaned the pitcher of her heart out on the altar.
God heard. God answered.
3) After God answered, she recognized He was the One who blessed her.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.”
1 Samuel 1:27
The Lord remembered Hannah and blessed her with a child, Samuel. Not all the time, but sometimes, God grants what we ask. When He does, give Him the glory for what He’s done!
In my own life, this passage was my prayer for a child as well. The Lord granted my request 12 years ago, and our firstborn son is named Samuel (Sam 🙂 because He so tenderly led me to Hannah ‘s story of:
1) pouring her heart out to Him
2) not sugarcoating her prayers
3) Giving Him glory
So whether it’s infertility or grumpy coworkers frustrating you, pour out your heart sincerely to The Lord. He’s listening and He loves you!
If you need to Refocus on what’s most important, go deeper with the edition of Refocused Bible Study that right for you!
Married with children Single mom
In chapter seven, Sam shares how one of his favorite ways to keep a good relationship with God is through worship songs. This child took his first steps just below the stage during worship band practice inside the walls of our church! Worship music has been a huge part of his life from before his birth, when his dad would sing to my pregnant belly. He loves to write his own worship music and has been doing so since he was a preschooler.
We are all living the story God has written for us and sees in its fullness from start to finish. He knows the plot, has chosen the characters, and the timeline for events to occur.
We have reduced our church in America to a thing we do instead of being the Body of Christ. If we look at the first generation church after Jesus returned to the Father, the church had no programs (until they organized a way to care for widows). They gathered and their focus was to worship and pray together, seeking the Lord together. The Holy Spirit led them.
Amy D Terry 