..and she kept on praying 1Sa 1:12
The events in chapter one of the book of Samuel take place in a culture facing a lack of morality and a lack of respect, in a land according to Judges 21:25 “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. Does this place sound just a bit familiar? In that place God used one woman to make a difference. Hannah’s story includes agony and tears of distress during which she learned “year after year” (1Samuel 1:3) to keep praying, developing a rhythm of prayer. Her story forms the backdrop for a Psalm of praise filled with comfort and inspiration. What about your story? Does it include a regular time of prayer?
I love fly fishing. I have my grandfather’s fly rod. I can just picture him as body, mind, and spirit come together in a rhythm. Pull back, push forward, and wait, same process over and over. It is a bit of a mystery how it works. The small lure lands lightly on the water as the fisherman holds his breath in anticipation. Prayer reminds me of fly fishing! As we follow Christ, striving to pull back, stop, take a deep breath, asking Jesus to straighten out our messy lives as we “let go of everything that entangles” (Hebrews 12). Then, we push forward with strong prayer, just like Hannah did through the tough stuff, trusting God, waiting with anticipation to see what happens. How many divine adventures do we miss because we get out of rhythm with prayer? What would it look like to have such a rhythm in our spiritual walk that we could say like Brother Lawrence, “I want my prayer time to look no different than any other moment in my day”?
Let me encourage you to take a moment, pull back, and read the first chapter of Samuel. Hannah’s story is incredible, especially if you are like me and love happy endings. Her story is a reminder to keep a rhythm of prayer. Somehow it makes me want to go fly fishing!