While I do not profess to be "all knowing." I do know someone who is! I frequently refer to His writings for motivation and inspiration. The more I read the Bible, the more I find subject matter that completely fascinates me; I am really excited about the wisdom that the Holy Spirit provides. One example can be found in the first chapter of the book of 1st Samuel.
Hannah is an awesome woman. As I try to understand her, I see something in the Word and in the people that surround her. First, her husband Elkanah who states to Hannah "why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee than ten sons?" Second, you have her priest Eli that witnesses her prayer and misinterprets her conversation with the Lord as her being drunk. And third, is Elkanah's other wife Peninnah who serves as Hannah's adversary. The Bible states that Hannah "was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore."
This was similar to a movie depicting a true story of a police officer who was determined to catch a murderer in a case that lasted over 19 years. Their focus was trying to solve the case by looking for a killer that fit a certain profile. The murderer eluded him for so long because the police were looking in the wrong direction.
Just like the people around and closest to Hannah. They thought that because she had things or people at her disposal that she was supposed to fit a "happy" profile. They were looking at the surface at what looked to be a simple issue. They didn’t see on the inside, deep and underneath the surface, was a deeply rooted problem that affected everyone around her and was so severe that no one could see or even correctly identify it.
The people around her suggested everything that they could think of to help or aggravate the situation. Hannah cried out and whatever she wanted to fix the symptoms could be given to her at a moment’s notice. Her husband offered her a “worthy portion” but money could not solve this problem. She had food at her disposal but food could not solve this problem. But these were quick fixes and quick fixes only mask the issue. The problem was so severe that it became a weakness to Hannah which was why Peninnah could serve as her adversary and Eli could misdiagnose the issue.
Hannah; however, refused to give up which takes a huge amount of courage and strength. She recognized that she had this hurt that touched her soul and wreaked havoc on her relationships. There is only one source that can fix this type of problem. And Hannah chose to go to this source. She asked the Lord to remember her and when her countenance was no longer sad and she could truly worship the Lord, she was remembered and conceived Samuel.
Some of us are just like Hannah. We keep being influenced to try these quick fixes like alcohol, drugs, anger, food, shopping, and etc. The truth is those quick fixes do not do anything to help us. We must stop focusing on the superficial things and target the real murderer of our souls. This is a murderer that forces us to dwell in negative bitterness and keep us from living the life that God ordained for us to live. Our hearts are grieved and heavy like a weight. These problems arise at times when we should be moving forward and letting go but this weight keeps holding us back. Like Hannah, we live with this weight of distrust that keeps us from enjoying the simple things in life. Before Hannah poured out her heart to the Lord, she couldn’t enjoy eating. She couldn’t enjoy her husband’s other children. Hannah couldn’t even enjoy her husband. But this changed that day that she poured out her soul to the Lord.
I pray that you develop a prayer life like Hannah. I pray that the Lord remembers you!
