The Height Of Praise
Opening Prayer
God of All, may we sing along with Hannah in fine, joyous voice! We praise You!
Read 1 Samuel 2:1–11
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.
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
Life is wonderful when we find a vantage point from which to survey all of God’s blessings. What can you rejoice about today?What are we to make of Hannah’s song? She interprets her blessings as God’s revenge on her enemies (1). Her rivals and critics have met with their comeuppance (5b). God has shown himself to be on her side and her faith in him has been vindicated (3). Was there ever such an honest, passionate outburst?
Hannah’s praises will one day inspire the mother of Jesus to express her own overflowing heart (Luke 1:46–55). In a few dynamic phrases Hannah captures the action of God in the world: reversing fortunes (4), lifting up the poor (8) and restoring to life what is dead (6). But God does not give us what we want in order to spite our enemies. While Hannah exalts in her triumph, there is more to discover of the heart of God. Jesus will show how God reaches out in love to all—including the tyrant and the wicked—and that forgiveness of our enemy is more precious than revenge (Matt. 5:44).
Apply
“There is no Rock like our God” (2)—that “Rock” is Jesus. Allow him to be your “Rock” today in the difficult circumstances.
Closing prayer
Thank You, God, for those times when You have rescued me. I bring to You the situations that anger me or give me pain.
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