The Humble Heart: 1 Samuel 1:9-11
God loves when we come to Him with an open heart, willing to serve. He can do much through willing people. We can do much if we follow Him.
One day, after Elkanah served at the altar and brought home his share of the sacrifice, Hannah got up after dinner and came to pray. Hannah stayed with the family during meal-time, but when the meal was over, probably when Peninnah began the task of settling her children into bed, Hannah came before the Lord. Hannah bears her heart before Him.
There can be no denying her attempt to bargain with the Lord. She opens negotiations by asking if God will remember her and give her a son. In return, she’ll give the child back to the Lord. There is clearly an exchange proposed by Hannah in the presence of God.
People advise others to avoid bargaining with God. I believe this attitude comes from genuine concern for the status of the heart. When we bargain, we typically attempt to convince someone else to do what we want. This is why bargains feel like enticement. It frequently is a self-centered tactic. Instead, we should want what God wants rather than convince Him our way is better than His.
That general stance aside, I don’t think God has an issue with a well-stated bargain. If we ask for something generally within His will, there’s nothing wrong with clarifying the response God can expect should He meet our request. Such a bargain isn’t telling God what to do, it is reminding us of our own obligation should God act. God clearly doesn’t have an issue with Hannah’s bargain and will grant her request!
The key to Hannah’s prayer is her humble honesty. Hannah feels distress regarding her inability to produce a child. In proximity to God’s altar at Shiloh, she comes as close to God’s dwelling on Earth as she can. She weeps bitterly as she exposes her heart to the Lord. Her bargain with God is no fleeting wish of the moment. Her bargain is out of the core of her being. Still, it is not the emotion she brings that makes her bargain acceptable.
Her bargain is acceptable because her heart is in the right place. Hannah doesn’t ask for a child so she can rub it is Peninnah’s face and silence her children. Hannah doesn’t ask for a child so she can prove her greatness to her world. Hannah asks for a child so that she can give it back to the Lord. Hannah isn’t looking for a child to stroke her own ego. Hannah asks for a child so she can have the opportunity to raise him right in the eyes of the Lord. Hannah wants to bring a worshipper of God to the world. When Hannah bargains with God, she’s trying to open her heart to the Lord’s will. God loves when we come to Him with heart open and willing to serve.
