Hannah poured her heart out to God so desperately that the priest thought she was drunk. She explained the situation — that she had been pouring her soul out before the Lord in grief — and without knowing exactly what she was praying for, the priest simply said, “The God of Israel grant your petition.”1
How would you respond if the Lord’s representative said something like that to you? Your hope might swell. You might go home with a bit more optimism than you had before. You might think, Maybe, just maybe it’s true.
Hannah apparently didn’t respond with any such uncertainty. Her entire countenance changed. No longer sad, she got up the next morning and worshiped. In other words, she actually believed. And because she believed what the priest had told her, God gave her what she had prayed for — a son dedicated to the Lord’s service (and, as it turns out, who would change the course of the nation).
What Kind of Faith?
Faith is a multifaceted phenomenon. Sometimes we believe God can do something without being convinced that he will. Sometimes we hope he might do something, but we suspect he probably won’t, as if our prayers are a shot in the dark that have a slim chance of hitting the target. Sometimes we trust in his general goodness but don’t believe him for a specific outcome.
But sometimes we believe in a specific outcome because we’re absolutely convinced he will do what he said, and that conviction sinks deep into our hearts.
