Remembered

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 son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head."  Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.  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.  Then Eli said to her, "How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you."  But Hannah replied, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.  Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation."  Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him."  She said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.  Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. (1 Samuel 2:11-19 NASB)

 I suppose there are a lot of things that could be said about God that might be drawn from Scripture and sound really wrong.  But sometimes what they say about Him reveal character elements, not of the Creator of the universe, but of His faithful chosen ones.  I believe this passage is one of those.  There is what Hannah says in her prayer, and what the writer says in his description of what God does for her.

Hannah prays from a troubled heart, troubled because of a "rival" jealous provoking wife.  She asks that God "remember" her.  It's a Hebrew word that means exactly that, rather than "see" or something that, by extension, can mean remember.  It only means remember.  And used here as she speaks to God implies He might forget.

Well, in prayer, humility is a good quality, so perhaps she prays for Him to remember her because she does not consider herself worthy of His attention.  Humility is good.  And the prayer of a humble woman does not form a solid foundation for a theological position all by itself.  Yet, it was recorded just this way.

So we remember, God was said to have remembered Noah and his family in the ark, and then dried up the world.  God remembered Abraham and rescued Lot from Sodom.  God remembered Rachel and she bore a child.  God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.  It would be a mistake to think this is the only place God's memory is called upon or referenced.

After Eli blesses Hannah, her prayer is answered.  The writer records that God remembered her, like Rachel before her, and she bore a son.  The humble request was answered as it was requested, to be remembered.  It's as if everyone thinks God forgets.  Everyone may, but then God says of Jerusalem in Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.  Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms..."

So, I can speak from my perspective that my Master has forgotten me, it may seem that way to me.  But the faith of the psalmist, of the prophets, my ancestors, and the writings of my Master in Scripture says otherwise.  History may record that I am not alone in feeling like my Master has forgotten me.  After 40 days in a boat full of animals and 400 years in slavery, it's easy to understand why they would think that.  But I also know that my Master is not like people that way.  It may not feel like it, I may not have evidence or clear reason to believe it, but I know that I am remembered.  For my Master tells me so.