1 Samuel 1:19-28 • Luke 1:46b-55 • Hebrews 8:1-13
It has been about nine months since Covid-19 hit town and drastically altered our lives in unexpected ways. Curiously, two out of three of our scripture readings for today deal with another type of life-altering nine-month experience– unexpected pregnancies. In the case of Hannah and of Elizabeth, these were pregnancies that ended years of heartbreaking and culturally shameful infertility. I am reminded of someone I know who, like Hannah, begged and bargained with God for a child. Her passionate pleas were answered when she gave birth to her first and only and altogether remarkable child–at age 42.
Intense longing, such as shown by my friend and by Hannah, has a potent clarity to it. Similarly, times of crisis have a way of stripping away all of the trivial and extraneous. In this year of life-altering and life-threatening circumstances, what have you discovered is the one thing you most long for? Perhaps it’s something far reaching like a vaccine or an end to perpetual racial injustice. Or perhaps it’s something closer to home, like being able to safely hug a loved one. While I am certain that there is no divine vending machine, I believe that these clear and poignant prayers are the ones held most dearly by our Lord. And that waiting “expectantly” is part of the plan.
God, Fill our longing hearts with Your presence and Your peace.
Grant us patience and hope as we wait for answered prayers.
Sarah Silvus
MAPM Class of 2006
MHC Class of 2021
Seminary of the Southwest
Listen to Sarah read her meditation and prayer:
Sarah Silvus holds a degree in English from Rice University. Her writing has focused mainly on memoir and personal essay, and she would one day like to write science fiction and crime fiction! She is currently pursuing a counseling degree at SSW. She hopes to integrate and inform her future counseling practice with spirituality.
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