As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
I often wonder what people are thinking about us when we are on our Prayer Walks, praying for people on the street. Some obviously think we are crazy or, like Eli and the people at Pentecost, drunk. Hannah was obviously not in the habit of praying like this or Eli would have taken no notice. When she was in dire need though, she trusted God and prayed fervently. When Eli saw her faith, he blessed her and prayed for a favorable answer for her prayer. The answer, Samuel, was the last judge and anointed the first two kings of Israel, including David!
It is interesting that the number of people who think we are crazy is decreasing greatly. The business owners and police appreciate the prayers and people on the street are much more open to prayer than they were when we started 5 years ago. It is rumored that someone asked Benjamin Franklin, “Why do you listen to George Whitefield preach? Do you believe what he says?” His reply was, “No, but he does.” The lesson for us is, if people see how fervently we trust the Lord and pray to him, they will be more apt to listen when we ask to pray for them.
Dear Lord, thank you for listening to our prayers for us and the world and thank you for your love and mercy. May we be fervent in prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church