Misunderstood

Misunderstood

Hannah

Read: 1 Samuel 1:9-14

As she prepared for her parents’ visit, Ella felt torn in two. She loved her family—she just wished they understood her new love for Jesus. During family devotions or prayers before meals, her parents looked at Ella and her husband as if they were fanatics. Her father questioned them about the money they gave to church, naming other “more sensible” uses for it. I wish they could understand that we haven’t joined a cult, Ella thought.

Hannah was also misunderstood. She yearned to become a mother with every fiber of her being. Knowing that God alone could grant her desire, she poured out her anguish to him. As she cried and silently prayed to God for a son, the priest at the Tabernacle angrily rebuked her for being drunk. His accusation must have mortified Hannah, who did her best to live a godly life. Eli accepted her explanation, but Hannah knew that God understood her heart even if no one else did.

As followers of Jesus, we will be misunderstood. Just as people misinterpreted Jesus and his mission, there will always be some who question our motives, sincerity, and maybe even our sanity. The early Christians called their weekly gatherings “love feasts,” and some people thought that they were orgies of immorality and lust. Since the believers celebrated the Lord’s Supper with bread that represented Jesus’ body, some accused them of being cannibals.

The world is not capable of understanding women who devote their lives to loving God and making him their first priority. When we live by his guidelines instead of by the world’s standards, some will see us as fanatics, weirdos, or worse. How comforting it is that God knows us even better than we know ourselves. Whatever the world thinks of us, we never have to worry about his misunderstanding us.

He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.

Psalm 33:15