Tuesday Reflection – June 02, 2020 Don’t Judge Me, Pray With Me

Tuesday Reflection – June 02, 2020
Don’t Judge Me, Pray With Me

Remember Hannah and Elkanah? Hannah was the unhappy wife who tried unsuccessfully to have a child for Elkanah, her husband. She constantly prayed for a child. On one visit to Shiloah to sacrifice, she goes aside to pray. As she prayed in anguish Eli, the High Priest, mistakes her emotion for drunkenness. His disdain soon turns to remorse however when he learns her story and in response, he joins her in praying that God would grant the desire of her heart. Hannah became pregnant and later gave birth to her son, Samuel. As Hannah rejoiced in the birth and dedication of her son, she praises God in what we have come to know today as Hannah’s Prayer. Today’s watchword is the beginning of that prayer, a statement that reflects the joy of Hannah’s heart. My heart exults in the Lord. 1 Samuel 2: 1.
As we reflect on Hannah’s story during what is happening today, I share with you some thoughts.

Firstly, the sense in which we understand prayer today does not fully reflect what Hannah did. Her prayer was more of a testimony or song of praise. She did not make a request of God for anything. What she did was thank God for the past, a past which for her had been filled with unhappiness and deep sorrow. Next, she expressed hope for the future, a hope based on what God had done for her in the past. Her present situation was that she was at the place of worship and she had given up her son, her only child, to the Lord, as she had pledged to do. What she was losing would never surpass what she knew her God would do for her in the future. Had he not proved Himself to her through the birth of her son? So Hannah sang her prayer, her praise, to her God. We should never be afraid to praise God for his blessings are unlimited.

Secondly, we find in the text, a statement of the condition of Hannah’s heart. He heart was rejoicing. She had endured a lot. She had been mocked, ridiculed, abused, and tormented. Her life before pregnancy had been a very unhappy one. Her husband had tried to make he happy, and those looking on might have felt she had all she needed so she should be happy, but in the depth of her heart her life had been unfulfilled. Society had judged her as being less than, she had been called demeaning names. In the temple where she should have found refuge, she was judged as being drunk and mocking God. We live in a society that often judges us rather than try to know us, to understand our situations. It wasn’t until Eli spoke to her that he shifted from judging her to praying with her. How often have we been guilty of judging people from a distance based on their looks, the way they sounded or something else about them, until we got to know them and understood their situation? We should not judge people. James 4: 12 challenges us: Who are you to judge another? As Christians we should pray with and for others. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.Gal 6: 2. Instead of judging, let us pray together.

Thirdly, Hannah’s joy and prayer of rejoicing was possible because Eli shifted from being an observer, judging and commenting erroneously from a distance, to becoming involved in the situation. As we watch the unfolding of demonstrations resulting from the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of those sworn to protect him, it is interesting to hear the comments of those who, like Eli, would accuse him of doing something that brough on his demise. Add to that those who incite violence against demonstrators. It’s also interesting to hear the deafening silence of those whose voices can make a great difference, those who have the power and responsibility to formulate and enforce the legislation to bring about the needed changes. 200 years ago, speaking of the sin of political apathy, Edmund Burk said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This remains true today, for while good people do nothing, evil people continue to spread their evil throughout society. How many more will have to suffer, how many more will have to die before evil is defeated, before rejoicing can burst forth, and praise lifted up? When will we move from a place of judgement to a place of prayerful rejoicing? Until then, until we are known more and judged less can we do anything other than ‘get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Don’t give up the fight!’ May we all live to see a society where God’s peace reigns, a society that prays with us more than it judges us. Amen

Bevon White