Worship through Pain

1 Samuel 1:9-11

Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh. Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s tabernacle. Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. Making a vow she pleaded, “LORD of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”

Elkanah had taken his family to the most important place on earth – the place of worship. As they went to worship, Peninnah taunted Hannah of her childlessness. God had not blessed her, so there must be something wrong with her. If Hannah believed Peninnah’s taunting, she would have a hard time worshiping God. They ate the worship meal in Shiloh just outside the doorpost of the tabernacle. Inside this doorpost was the place of worship, where Eli sat to hear judicial rulings. If ever there was a place to present your case to God, this was it. If Hannah could still worship God through all of her pain, she was in the right place to do so.

Hannah was deeply hurt. Her barrenness had brought her so much shame she could hardly bear it. While she had been told God’s hand was against her, she did a very hard thing by choosing to worship God and taking her hurt directly to Him. When we pour out our pain to Him in an act of worship, He hears.

We can all grumble and complain – even in prayer. Can we truly worship God when we feel He is punishing us or being unfair? All Hannah had to give was pain, so she poured it out before God and made a vow to honor God with her son’s life if He would only give her a son and take away her shame. In this vow, she was acknowledging the power of God and the grace of a merciful God at the same time. She would give Him what she most desired if He would take away her barrenness.

If you feel hurt or shame, the best thing you can do is to pour it out to God. Give Him what you have, even if it is only pain. He has not rejected you, and He has the power to take away the hurt and the shame forever! While the Devil may taunt you to think God is against you, know for certain that He is for you. Worship Him by giving those feelings of rejection to Him and receiving His unconditional love and acceptance for you. When you think God is being unfair, worship Him anyway. When you feel as if He has rejected you, worship God despite your feelings. By doing this, the Devil loses his ability to harass you in that area, and He is defeated forevermore!

Have a blessed day!