Tom Cannon

The story of Hannah’s life is miraculous, and the results are amazing. But there is a story within Hannah’s story that is tragic. When Hannah prayed, she was confronted by Eli, the High Priest. As Hannah prayed, Eli rebuked her, because he thought she was drunk. But Hannah was not drunk; she was anointed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. She was abiding in that place of intimacy with God, where she no longer could speak her request with human words, but had to cry out to God, from the depth of her heart and soul.

Eli didn’t know what was happening within Hannah, because he apparently could not recognize the anointing of God upon her life. And that’s what makes this ‘story within the story’ so tragic. At the very moment when God was getting ready to open Hannah’s womb, so she and her husband could conceive a child together – a child who would become one of the greatest leaders Israel would ever know – the spiritually blind leader of Israel (High Priest), judged Hannah by the presumptions of his flesh, rather than by his knowledge of the Spirit.

It’s not good, when the one praying (Hannah) is more righteous, godly, and spiritually mature than the person leading the church (Eli). Such was the case with Hannah and Eli. She was praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he thought she was drunk. Even though he was the High Priest, he didn’t have the capacity to recognize the anointing of God on Hannah’s life. That makes Eli’s story tragic indeed.

Eli had the call of God, the position of God, and the power of God at his disposal – to do differently than he did, as a leader of God’s people. But he didn’t. Eli failed God, Israel, and even his own family.

Wayward ministers, churches, or even denominations are nothing unusual, are they? I have never seen a greater failure by the ministry, or the church, to follow the ways of God, and proclaim truth, than in our present day. As in the days of Eli, it is tragic.

What is your responsibility to the Lord, if you discover you are more spiritually in-tune with God, or righteous than your leader? Do you allow disillusionment to erode your faith, and let your disgust, lead you to quit on God? Should you do everything you can to destroy that ‘unholy’ man or woman, and run them out of the ministry?

We cannot allow the spiritual condition of our lives to be negatively impacted by anyone else – whether they have been entrusted to lead us, or not. Neither can we turn to our flesh, to address a spiritual lack in others. The first step in addressing a spiritual lack in less-than-perfect leaders is prayer. God expects us to (daily) pray for those who lead us. If you really care about the church, then that’s exactly what you will do.

Those who love the church, the way the Lord loves His church, will do whatever they can to help strengthen, and bless every person within the church – starting with those who lead (1 Tim. 2:1-3).

That is the direction you need to take, if you discover you are more mature than your spiritual leader. You need to act like you are as mature as you think you are. Did you catch that? If you find you have grown significantly, then behave like you have grown significantly. Don’t despise your leader for their lack of spiritual maturity, rather, love them, pray for them, and if at all possible, speak into their lives. In doing so, you will help them become stronger, more godly leaders.

Eli was a very weak leader, and he was judged by the Lord for allowing sin to run rampant in his own household. But I want you to notice something here; God used Eli to bless Hannah, even though he wasn’t living the way he should (1 Samuel 4).

God allowed Hannah to receive a blessing from Eli, because Hannah did the right thing, and honored the man of God, even though he was clueless concerning his own responsibilities. I believe, if Hannah would have rebuked Eli, or gone home offended, and told her friends how she was mistreated by the man of God, that she would not have received the blessing, and might have remained barren forever.

The bottom line is this: God causes His blessings to flow into the life of those who do things right. If you will do the right thing, then you will reap a harvest.