God With Us--Week 2

The theme for the 40 Days of Faith is "God With Us."

Today, we read about God being with Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:1-20.

Can I just say that I have loved the Old Testament ever since I was a child?

I'm a sucker for stories, and I think narrative speaks more profoundly than doctrine.

I've always marveled at the agency that Hannah has in this story, even in a social structure where, as the notes point out, "the men in Hannah's life tell her to be behave and to be happy."  Oh, how often I have heard sisters in the faith say, "I just need to have more faith" or "I just need to be more content."  Very rarely are Christian women told that they can ask God for anything and aspire to a full life that transcends boundaries both physical and circumstantial.  And while it is true that suffering is a given in our life, we also have a God to whom we can pour out our hearts--full of longings, disappointments, even frustrations--in a manner so raw that, like Eli, others may even think we are drunk.  (I sense a theme here: at Pentecost, the disciples were also thought to be drunk.  How many of us Christians are willing to pray so fervently as to make others feel uncomfortable?)

The reflection for the passage is as follows:
God speaks through the deepest desires of our hearts, where we long for growth, change, connection, and a fuller life.  We've invited you during the 40 Days to name one of these desires and pray for it every day.  Today as you do so, ask God to speak to you about what aspects of your desire God shares with you and wants to fulfill.  Like Hannah, are there ways you can find peace and worship God even when you're not yet sure how God will respond to your prayers?

Hannah is not afraid to bargain with God.

Jacob is not afraid to wrestle with God.

I've done my share of wrestling with God.  Perhaps I'll try bargaining, not just for myself, but for the people in my life.