A Prophetic Song
Opening Prayer
Great and Almighty God, You are truly an awesome God. There is no one like You in all creation!
Read 1 Samuel 2:1-11
[1] Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. [2] “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. [3] “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. [4] “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. [5] Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. [6] “The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. [7] The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. [8] He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; on them he has set the world. [9] He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; [10] those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” [11] Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does Hannah celebrate about the Lord?Hannah had been absorbed in her own sorrows; now she is looking beyond herself. As she worships God, she gets a wider perspective. She has found a Rock, holy and dependable, who cares for the weak, the hungry, the poor. Because she has been one of them, she can say, “the Lord is a God who knows …” (3). God knows that the proud, the self-sufficient, the strong are just as dependent upon him as the weak, but don’t realize it! It is God who provides for rich and poor alike and rules over everything (3,4). In her exultation, Hannah’s vision widens to understand that what she has personally experienced applies to all parts of life everywhere. God not only provides for the poor, the barren, the needy; he rules over warriors and armies, over life and death. He controls the foundations of the world (6,8). As Hannah worships, she receives a prophetic glimpse into the future: she gets a glimmer of an anointed king. Little does she know that her own son will be the one to anoint him, and that this king will foreshadow an even greater Anointed One!
Apply
Take time to make up your own song of praise to God. Use some of Hannah’s words if you want.
Closing prayer
Loving Lord, give me a heart to praise You for all that You are, and for all that You do.
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