GOD ACTS JUSTLY
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, with all that is within me, I bless your name. Your ways are from of old, your works are ever new.
Read 1 Samuel 2:1–11
Hannah’s Prayer
2 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn[a] 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.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Horn here symbolizes strength; also in verse 10.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Looking back over the last day(s), can you identify times you’ve been aware of God’s activity in your life or wider circumstances? How often do you deliberately reflect on that?In her prayer, Hannah is reflecting on how her own life has been turned upside down since her encounter with Eli in the house of the Lord (v 1). A horn symbolizes strength, referred to at the end (vs 1,10). Her impotence has quite literally been removed, but far more than that. The strength and power of God flow through this song, as he justly reverses status and material situations, bringing death and making life (vs 4–8).
Almost hidden is God’s promise to those faithful to him (v 9) – that he will protect them amidst this ‘topsy-turviness’. Hannah is someone who has remained faithful to God and experienced his protection.
Over the last two years, the securities of life have become perilously precarious – in terms of national and international politics, climate issues, natural and viral disasters. We see injustice wherever we look. We have cried out to God to reverse the fortunes of those who suffer. We have also seen remarkable examples of faith-filled Christians demonstrating God’s compassion and power in practical and imaginative ways.
Apply
Cry out to God to be merciful toward one country or situation where injustice and chaos reign. Pray too that those faithful to God will continue to trust and serve him there.
Closing prayer
Almighty God, your Word reminds me that nothing can separate me from your love. Thank you for that assurance.
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