Read
1 Hannah prayed:
You make me strong
and happy, Lord.
You rescued me.
Now I can be glad
and laugh at my enemies.
2No other god is like you.
And with you we are safer
than on a high mountain.
3I can tell those proud people,
“Stop your boasting!
Nothing is hidden from the Lord,
and he judges what we do.”
4Our Lord, you break
the bows of warriors,
but you give strength
to everyone who stumbles.
5People who once
had plenty to eat
must now hire themselves out
for only a piece of bread.
But you give the hungry more
than enough to eat.
A woman did not have a child,
and you gave her seven,
but a woman who had many
was left with none.
6 You take away life,
and you give life.
You send people down
to the world of the dead
and bring them back again.
7Our Lord, you are the one
who makes us rich or poor.
You put some in high positions
and bring disgrace on others.
8You lift the poor and homeless
out of the garbage dump
and give them places of honor
in royal palaces.
You set the world on foundations,
and they belong to you.
9You protect your loyal people,
but everyone who is evil
will die in darkness.
We cannot win a victory
by our own strength.
10Our Lord, those who attack you
will be broken in pieces
when you fight back
with thunder from heaven.
You will judge the whole earth
and give power and strength
to your chosen king.
Samuel Stays with Eli
11Elkanah and Hannah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed to help Eli serve the Lord.
Reflect
Hannah has just given up the most precious thing in her life, her miracle son. What does she do next? Is Hannah going to ask God to forgive her but she wants her son back? Is she feeling the sacrifice is just too difficult to make, the promise impossible to keep? Hannah prays, “You make me strong and happy, Lord.” She kept her promise to God. The result is she feels strong and happy! Her entire prayer is one of rejoicing.
“You rescued me.” Hannah no longer lives with the stigma of barrenness. Her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, can’t make her life miserable by teasing her for having no children.
Hannah gives God the glory and the credit, not only for giving her a son but for everything that happens in the world. She realizes that we need him. Hannah acknowledges that God gives life and takes it away.
Hannah’s prayer reminds me of Mary’s response to God in Luke 1:46-55, often referred to as Mary’s Song of Praise, or the Magnificat. It, too, is a response of rejoicing and praise to God.
This gets me thinking about my prayers. Do they burst out of me because I am so full of thanksgiving and praise for what God has done and is doing? Are they unrestrained because of my love for my Heavenly Father? Or are my prayers quickly given out of guilt or duty? Do they resemble a list of wants? Or perhaps the only prayer I’ve consciously prayed is “help!”
Then again, praying for help to the One who absolutely knows what we need and how to help might be just the place to start.
Respond
Holy Father, You love me with a never-ending love. I need you, but often my prayers are hurried, short or non-existent. Please fill me with a sense of your great love and overwhelming gratitude so that my prayers to you will overflow in praise. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.
Denise Budd Rumble
Through her speaking and writing, Denise shares her stories as a woman of faith on the road of life with all its bumps and detours. She encourages others to see God at work in their lives too. Published in various Canadian newspapers and magazines including Faith Today, live (formerly The Link & Visitor), and Focus on the Family Canada, she is also a contributor to A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Denise is the former Executive Director of The Word Guild.