The other night, my team had the opportunity to participate in a small group at a church member’s house. When we got there, we read through the first chapter for 1 Samuel and then shared some of the insight we had while reading it.
Now I’ll do a quick recap of that first chapter to either refresh your memory, or introduce you to something you may have never heard before.
Hannah is a woman married to Elkanah. He also has another wife named Peninnah, which is super common in that day of age. The thing about Hannah is she is unable to have children, while Peninnah was able to. Back then, having children was a huge huge deal. So Hannah is really upset and sad about it, while Peninnah mocks her and rubs it in her face that she has children and Hannah doesn’t. Regardless of children, Elkhanah loves Hannah more than Peninnah, which probably doesn’t help Hannah’s cause for being picked on.
Anyways, each year, the fam loads up and goes to a city called Shiloh, to makes sacrifices and worship the Lord. That year, while they are there, Hannah goes off by herself and starts praying really hard and pouring out everything that she is feeling and thinking in her heart to the Lord, including her desire to have a child. So much so that Eli, the priest, thinks she is drunk because she is praying so hard and her lips are moving but nothing is coming out of her mouth. So she is looking like a cray cray. But she doesn’t care. She knows that the Lord wants to hear what she has to say because she knows the Lord and His character. She then promises that if the Lord does give her a child, that she would turn around and give the child back to the Lord and to serve in the temple.
After she is finished praying and pouring out her heart to the Lord, she goes with her family and worships the Lord. Then after they return home, the Lord remembers her prayers and answers her.
So that’s the brief, Michelle-summary.
As I was sitting in the room the other night, we were asked to share what we got from that passage. I was the last one to go and I wasn’t really sure what to say. I kept on looking through the words and verses as others were sharing. And suddenly, verse 19 jumped out at me.
“They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then the went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son.”
Okay, so why this verse?
Take a look back at the timeline of events. Hannah goes to pray and worship with her family. Hannah prays like a mad woman. Eli the priest thinks she’s a mad woman, even though really she is just pouring out her heart. They go and worship. They return home. The Lord remembers her prayers. And then she conceives a son.
And this is what caught my attention. It doesn’t say, Hannah prays. The Lord remembers her prayers. She conceives a son. And then they worship. That isn’t the order of events.
Hannah went and worshiped the Lord before the Lord even began to answer her prayers.
Worship isn’t about thanking and praising the Lord for what He has done and how He has answered prayers.
Worship is about acknowledging who the Lord is and giving Him glory because of it.
I don’t think Hannah worshiped the Lord because she knew He would answer her prayers. I think she worshiped the Lord because she knew the character of the Lord. She knew without a doubt that she could pray like a mad woman and be absolutely confident that the Lord would hear her prayers. She was confident because she had spent time with the Lord and had an intimate relationship with HIm. She knew His character.
That was what led her to worship Him. Not because of whether or not He would answer her prayers to have a son. But because of who He is. She couldn’t help but worship.
And that I felt like I got sucker punched in the stomach.
What is the motive in my worship? Is it because of what He has done in my life? Do I worship Him only after He answers my prayers? For the ways He has answered my prayers?
OR is because I have an intimate relationship with Him and I can’t help but do anything but worship Him? Because I know His character and because of that, I’m in awe and only want to give Him glory and praise Him?
I think it’s clear what my motive should be. And as I read that passage, I felt a longing in my heart of how I want to worship every day. My worship to not be dependent on how He decides to answers my prayers. But about my relationship with Him and knowing Him deeply. And that’s what I really want and desire.
And it completely changes the way I view worship. And the way I want to enter worship and how I worship. Because He alone is worthy to be praised. Regardless of what I experience in my life. Knowing Him more and more should lead me to a place of worship.
