“Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly… Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah” (1 Sam 1:9, 19a).
To lament biblically is always an act of faith and Hannah’s prayer is a classic example of biblical lament. Unlike complaining which has no specific address and disparages God’s goodness, lamenting involves four essential ingredients: (1) Turning to God; (2) Lamenting to God about a specific problem; (3) Asking God for help with this problem; (4) Worshipping God before he answers our request.
After the barren Hannah bitterly pours out her soul to the LORD in prayer, she worships the LORD together with her husband at the tabernacle. And sometime later, she becomes pregnant. How much later the text doesn’t say. But one thing is clear: her worship is not tied to her pregnancy. It’s rooted in the belief that God is good, so we can put our hope in him no matter what our circumstances.
Lament is a powerful way to cope with pain, not because it makes our pain go away, but because it realigns our temporary experiences with the eternal character of God. And if Hannah’s example is not strong enough to inspire us to action, then how about being inspired to lament like our Messiah!
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning…. I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Psa 22:1, 22).
