Drunk Prayers

Most of us have our prayer routines (which isn't necesarrily a bad thing) whether you throw out your "Our Fathers", "Thank you for the food", or like my daughter who at dinner always ask God to help her "be thankful to my family" or pray for friends, family, neighbors, church, country etc etc. If you are like me sometimes these prayers or times of prayer can become routine, or even mundane. When was the last time you prayed like you were drunk?

1 Samuel 1:9-15

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She, [a]greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.11 She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a[b]son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

12 Now it came about, as she [c]continued praying before the Lord, that Eli was watching her mouth.13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14 Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” 15 But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman [d]oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.

We just finished going through the walk as Jesus walked books and one of the chapters God used in my life and then reminded me about with the passage above was the intentionality, consistency and the fervor in which Jesus prayed. In Mark 1:32-35 Jesus was up late healing, and then woke up really early in the morning to get away by himself to pray(how many of us would have used the late night as an excuse for extra zzz's. Of course we all know the garden prayer where blood poured out.

So I ask my self do I pray like that, or do I just throw up some prayers because thats what I am supposed to do? Is what I am praying about so important that I am sweating blood or appearing as though drunk because all I am consumed with is the communication with my Savior?


-Eric House