“Georgia, Georgia on my mind. All the roads lead up to you.” Like an old sweet song, the words come through, sweet and clear like moonlight through the pines.
I see WOW! seminars as a process in my faith journey. They are a revelation from the Lord that comes through like moonlight through the pines.
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice. He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live (Ps 116:1-2).
These words sound like Hannah’s. At our October seminar, Dr. Milton Eng, a Hebrew Bible scholar, remarked that in Jewish tradition some believe that Hannah actually taught David how to pray.
Didn’t the Lord hear her cry? Turn his ear to her and show her mercy?
Hannah had been barren. She prayed. God heard. A year later she gave birth to Samuel, a great prophet of Israel.
Dr. Eng invited us to look at contrasts in the passage. Eli, the priest, thought Hannah was drunk the way she prayed. The way I see it, she prayed from the heart. Eli apparently wasn’t familiar with this way of praying. Serving in the temple, he was probably used to formulaic and written prayers. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not the only way to pray. For some, prayer is a supplement to the way of the world, while for others, like Hannah, it is an alternative. The way of Hannah is a road that leads to Jesus, the One who came to give voice to the voiceless and to show mercy to those who suffer.
In this year of chaos, hurricanes, and suffering of all magnitudes, we take solace and comfort in knowing that God still speaks to us and is eager for us to do the same.
