Living in the Spirit
November 12, 2018
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 1:4-20
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So, Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.’ Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.’ And she said, ‘Let your servant find favor in your sight.’ Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.
They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the Lord.’ –1 Samuel 1:12–20
How do we judge others? How important are first impressions? Do we transfer unpleasant events from our lives to others without regard to who they really are? How do we look past our prejudices and see the image of God in each person with whom we deal? In the story above, Eli made an incorrect assumption about Hannah but very quickly changed courses when he understood more about her and the sorrow with which she wrestled.
Jesus saw the person beyond the situation in his encounters. He seemed particularly sensitive to the needs of women for a man in his culture: the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the Syrophoenician woman, the mother whose son had died, the woman who touched the hem of his garment seeking healing. In impetuous Peter, he saw and groomed the leader of a church. He helped brothers James and John, who were lusting for power, see the more important way. Jesus saw the faith in a Roman Centurion and the potential in blind Bartimaeus.
Intentionality of effort is required in seeing the image of God in each person we encounter. In many situations, we will need the blessed presence of the Holy Spirit to get past our limitations. It certainly requires us to accept that, we too, are made in the image of God and thus are fully capable of loving one another.
Prayer: Lord, empower us to love first and let love guide the course of all our interactions with others. Amen.