Hannah visits the Temple

Dr Iain Jamieson December 09, 2024 1 3

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1 Samuel 1: 24-28 (NRSVA)

24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, ‘Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.’

I have had cause to think. I have had cause to think of the blessings and the wonders that my Lord has shown me. When I was beset by troubles and that most troublesome of things — a wee heart operation — to face. 

I thought to myself: you make all sort of deals with God when the chips are down. 

You know you do. 

If this (positive outcome) happens then I’ll stop (insert vice of your choice here).

This is what is known — not as begging (although your human transactional side might parse it as such)— but as a belt of truth in the face of physics and reality and all things science says are “real” (as if science was any more than children playing in the dark; inquisitive, intuitive but blind). 

That’s the blues.

It smacks you in the face, it bares your soul and that rawness and newness lasts forever.

Man. I played the blues.

And the Lord said (in my parlance) it was cool. All things were served to him in shades of blue.

And I slept, before what might have been my last morning. In the fulsome knowledge that all our blues were beautiful to the Lord and every jagged edge or wrong chord was accepted as a perfect song.

Prayer:

Lord,

The music of my life is confusing.

Sometimes it is deafening.

Sometimes it is deafening in its silence.

You give me the notes and words to sing my blues.

Let me keep singing till my voice is gone.

Let my music ring on and on.