Hannah's Prayer Of Praise

1 Samuel 2:1-2 and 6-8 - 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.  "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God…..

 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.  The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.  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; upon them he has set the world.

 

At around three years of age…Samuel was weaned and Hannah determined in her heart that it was time to fulfill her promise to the Lord.  Her heart sang a song of joy and thankfulness…a prayer that rejoiced in the God who had delivered her from her barrenness… as she left the tabernacle and the care of the special child he gave her in the care of the Lord. She spoke of God’s holiness…his strength and his sovereignty.

 

God hadn’t just given Hannah a child….he made her complete….lifted the heavy burden ….erased the failures that Peninnah constantly threw in her face.  She had been delivered from her enemies…and bubbled over with thanks for what he had done to change her life. The joy of being made complete allowed her to follow through with the vow she made to God. She did not cry tears of sadness and separation from her son…she cried tears of joy and confidence that the child she left in Eli’s care that day was going to be raised by god himself.

 

Hannah’s prayer reminds me of several things we need to always remember about our great God.  First…she acknowledged the holiness of God… she hallowed the great name of God and gave him the reverence he demands because of who he is. Then …she spoke of the great strength of God…his firm…unchanging nature to always be there for us…no matter what we are going through. Next… she praised him for his loving mercy that continually watches over us…chasing us…covering us from many of the consequences we bring on ourselves in our moments of selfishness.

 

Hannah’s prayer doesn’t stop there…she continues to remind us that God is sovereign….he alone has control over the world.  Just as Paul wrote in Romans 8:28…”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Hannah acknowledged that God knew what he was doing when he made her wait for the right timing...to give her a special child that he could raise up to be who some commentators say was the greatest of all prophets.

 

Hannah does not leave out the fact that God is also our judge…he alone decides what is right and how punishment...if any is needed…..should be applied.  She acknowledged to God that she was willing to let him decide how to deal with her emotions toward Peninnah…and was able to move forward in her life with new hope and purpose.  Hannah found release from her burden…and received joy….peace….and a new way of looking at life as she uttered this great prayer to the God that had blessed her so greatly.

 

Oh Father….help me to learn to pray as Hannah.  Teach me how to lift my voice in great praise for who you are and what great things you have done to release me from the burdens of grief and loneliness. Help me to always remember that you alone are holy…and greatly to be praised.  I thank you for being my rock…for giving me a solid place to stand when the world crumbled down around me.  I thank you for rebuilding my life and showing me that you were always a part of what happened in my life…good or bad....and that your plan was greater than my human expectations of those moments. Help me to remember that you alone are judge of this world…and anything that happens here.  Help me to be still and allow you to give me the strength to refrain from judging others that may have hurt me. Thank you God for all the great blessings you shower upon me daily. Thank you for this morning…and the great joy it gives me to know that you have plans to prosper me…and not harm me….plans to give me a future that includes hope …peace …and joy. Give to me the confidence to know as Hannah did…that you always have me in the palm of your hand.  Amen.