Peace

There are times when my heart is in turmoil because of something on my mind or a situation that I’m facing that is difficult. I will often pray and leave the situation with the Lord, only to pick it back up and start worrying or stressing all over again. It’s sometimes difficult to flip that switch and not worry.

I started my journey through 1 Samuel this morning and I was introduced to a woman named Hannah who couldn’t bear children. She was very emotional and upset about it. When she went to the temple to pray, she poured out her heart to the Lord and was visibly emotional and upset during her time of prayer. Check this out….

⁹ Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹⁰ Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

¹² As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. ¹³ Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ¹⁴ “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

¹⁵ “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. ¹⁶ Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

¹⁷ “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

¹⁸ “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. (1 Samuel 1:9-19 NLT)

I love the fact that the priest told her to go in peace and she did. She trusted the Lord and unloaded her worries and stress. The priest, Eli actually blessed her as well.

I want to grow in this area. I want to “cast all my worries upon the Lord, because I know He cares for me.” I want to stop picking them back up again. I want to stop worrying about anything and pray about everything. Peace comes from the One Whom I leave all of my worries with.

Pressing On!

Dwayne