A Heart Prayer
“And She was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore” (I Samuel 1:10 KJV).
A Heart Prayer
“Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard…” (I Samuel 1:13 KJV).
In First Samuel, Scripture tells us that Hannah “was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore” (KJV). This isn’t the kind of bitterness that turns a heart cold, this kind of ‘bitterness of soul’ is deep anguish. It’s a kind of heartache that pierces your very soul. This is the kind of pain that only the LORD can mend.
Elkanah, Hannahs’ husband, had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Scripture tells us that Elkanah ‘loved Hannah.’
“And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But to Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb” (I Samuel 1:4-5 KJV).
Elkanah knew the burden Hannah carried in her heart, and He had concern and showed her compassion. But no matter what he said or did for her, it could not ease her heartache. She deeply desired to have a son. Yet, the LORD had shut up her womb.’
Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, showed no compassion for Hannah. She would provoke her to the point that Hannah would weep and not eat.
“And her adversary also provoked her sore; for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore, she wept and did not eat” (I Samuel 1:6-7 KJV).
“And She was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore” (I Samuel 1:10 KJV).
Why am I telling you this story of Hannah….
Because I know how it feels to have a sorrowful spirit, a bitterness of soul, heartache that goes beyond mere words. I know the heartache that cries out to the LORD and I also know that nothing and no one else, but the Lord, can ease that pain.
If you are experiencing a ‘bitterness of soul’, a sorrowful spirit, I want you to know that the LORD sees your pain, He hears your cries of anguish, and He desires to help you. If you let Him, He will carry the heaviest part of your burden. He hears the prayer of your heart. And He doesn’t want you to try and carry it alone. He is willing to carry the hard and heavy parts. He wants to help relieve your heavy burdens.
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7 NKJV).
Sometimes people will misjudge your pain…
Eli, the priest, saw Hannah praying and He misjudged her because she was praying from her heart and only her lips moved, Eli thought she was drunk and told her to quit drinking.
“And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she had been drunken.
And Eli said unto her, ‘How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.’
And Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the LORD” (I Samuel 1: 12-15 KJV).
Sometimes, when we are going through a difficult time and are mourning in our spirit, people that are looking only from the outside will misjudge us.
Just like Eli accused Hannah of being drunk; There are people that may wrongly accuse you, without knowing what is really going on inside your heart. They may accuse you of being angry or accuse you of acting weird; they fail to see your heart is full of grief and sorrow.
But the LORD will never misjudge you, He knows what is going on inside. He hears the anguish in your prayer, knows the hurt and heartache that is in your spirit. If you invite Him in, He will bind up your heartache and help relieve the sorrow in your spirit.
“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (Psalms 147:3).
There will also be people in our lives like Peninnah.
Peninnah is called Hannah’s adversary, and she would provoke Hannah to fret, weep, and not eat. There will be people in our lives that our adversary, the devil, will use against us to provoke us and cause even greater heartache and pain (if we allow it).
Our adversary, the devil, has taken some people captive to do his will. Sometimes, these are people close to us. They may even see that we are hurting, mourning, and heartbroken; instead of offering compassion, concern, and understanding, they provoke us, causing more pain and heartache.
Peninnah taunted Hannah severely, provoking her to fret, weep, and not eat. In the book of Proverbs, we are told: “Do not fret – it only causes harm,” fretting causes us harm. It caused Hannah to weep and not eat – which was causing her harm and contributed to her grief.
Don’t let these mean-spirited people, that have allowed our adversary (the devil) to take them captive, cause you to fret. Instead, bring your burden to the LORD; He sees and hears every word they have spoken, let Him take care of it. Do not fret.
“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalms 55:22 NKJV).
When you are experiencing a great bitterness of soul, a deep painful sorrow in your spirit, a heartache that goes beyond spoken words, I can promise you that if you will trust the LORD with the prayer of your heart and pour out your heart before Him, He will wrap you in His love, He will carry the heaviest part of your grief and burden. He will give you strength. He is a refuge.
You can trust Him; He loves you beyond measure. Pour your heart out to Him.
“In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” (Psalms 94:19 NKJV).
“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted” (Mathew 5:4 NKJV).
Until next time… “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort”
Shalom