Pour Out Your Soul

     Today we are going to continue our story of Hannah. Though she continued to be harassed by Pininnah year after year, she continued to endure and persevere. Her husband loved her but didn’t really understand. One year on their trip to the temple, she broke down and had a good crying fit. You know the one: the one that all of us women have had from time to time. It was so hard for her to put up with the comments and the sneers of Pininnah and she kept turning to the LORD but He wasn’t giving her what she begged for. To top it all off, her husband tried to fix things with a typical man response. He said, “Why are you so upset. I love you. Am I not more important than having ten sons? They were at a celebration and when everyone was finished eating and drinking, she couldn’t take it anymore and she left. She went to the temple to pray and talk to the LORD some more. As she was praying she let all of her emotions out. She poured them at the feet of God. Eli, the priest was watching her and accused her of being drunk. He asked her when she was going to stop drinking. She assured him that she was broken hearted and was pouring her soul out to God and that she had not been drinking. He spoke a blessing over her that the LORD would give her what she asked.

     We can learn many things from Hannah. First we can see that men and women are really no different no matter what century we live. We can relate to the people of the Old Testament. Secondly, we can learn what it means to pour out our soul to the LORD. We have to break down our spiritual walls. Our wall of superficial, insignificant, self-protective and proper-appearing prayer does not produce intimacy in our communication with God.
     Have you ever been so troubled that you poured out your anguish and grief to the LORD? Have you ever been so open in spirit that others would have accused you of being drunk? I think each of us have experienced overwhelming times in life and we have poured out our soul to God. But my question for us to ponder is this; shouldn’t we experience it more than a few times in life? Should it not be more common in our prayer time with God? When the walls are taken down then the soul pours out! Is it time to pour your soul out to God?

Eli sad to her, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.”

“Not so, my Lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

1 Samuel 1: 14-16