Today is July 10.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
  
Today’s reading is from the book of 1st Samuel, chapter 1.  
 

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. 1In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”  
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”  “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.  
 

Hannah was heartbroken. She was in anguish and was praying desperately to the Lord for a child. Many of us know the anguish of infertility. Some have walked through the valley of the shadow of death during the illness or loss of a child. Hannah calls herself ‘a woman who is deeply troubled’, and she is pouring out her troubles to the Lord. Samuel, if we’re going to be honest, is a troublesome interruption. He doesn’t notice her pain, and even makes an accusation against her. Think about Samuel’s response to seeing pain that he didn’t understand. How do you feel about it?   
  
As you listen to the scripture again, consider who you feel more connected to in this story? Are you like Hannah feeling miserable, or bargaining with God for an answered prayer? Or are you like Samuel, quick to overlook or dismiss emotions or anguish? Don’t put a value on one vs the other, and don’t judge. Just be curious about yourself.  
  
I imagine that many of us came to prayer today with profound needs, or deep desires. Some may have come filled with deep troubles. Maybe someone listening is right now bearing the weight of infertility, or loss. For whatever pain you are holding today, I am deeply sorry. As we end our time of prayer, let’s hold one another before the Lord. Consider all those who are listening right now, and all the heartbreak they may carry. Ask God to draw near, as He promises He will, to the brokenhearted.  
 
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