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Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory. "There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed." (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
There is nothing so sweet as a prayer of giving thanks for an answered prayer. Yes, all prayers are answered, but when they are answered in the marvelous way of God in keeping with what we need, that's Glory! Happy Friday, dear Friend! May all your prayers today be sweet in praising God and praying for one another.
Hannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel. Samuel was a boy given to Hannah after she prayed in such a way that Eli the prophet during his days, thought she was drunk. Have you ever prayed in that way that your pastor thought you were drunk? Let's not go there... In those days, men who could afford them, could have two wives, and Hannah's husband, Elkanah, had a wife named Penninah and Hannah. Penny had children with Elkie, but Hannah was considered barren. Penny also made nonstop fun of Hannah for her inability to give her husband a child. This drove her to prayer (not drinking!) Her "drunken" prayer is found in 1 Samuel 1:11; she asks for a son from the Lord and if He would grant her one, she would return him back to the Lord for service to God and His work. She also promised that he would drink neither wine nor intoxicants (how's that for a "drunken" prayer?) and no razor shall touch his head. This was the Nazarite vow that John the Baptist lived and Samson tried to live. Well, her prayer was answered; God gave her a son. And this was her prayer of thanksgiving.
Her prayer begins with an exaltation of the Lord. In her heart and in her life she had lifted up the Lord, and to the Lord she gives credit for her strength. Now her voice could be used to praise God to God's glory and would also be used to quiet her critic's voice of ridicule. She affirms there is no other God like our God, and our God is a Rock. And to her detractors she says they would be better off praising God than attacking others (that works even today). She also takes a turn like the writer of Ecclesiastes (Solomon) in the part of the prayer that says, "The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol (the grave) and raises up (a prophetic foretelling of Jesus' resurrection). The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low, He also exults. He raises up the poor from dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them He has set the world."
The prayer is a call for all to turn to God; for the wicked to turn to righteousness; and for the enemies of God to surrender and become followers of God. She shares the belief we hold that "The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; He will give strength to His King, and exalt the power of His anointed." Keep in mind this is the mother of Samuel who anointed Saul and David as kings of Israel. It was also Samuel who called on Israel to return to God many a time. Ultimately, it was during his time as prophet that the people cried out to God asking to be like every other nation in having a human king instead of God as king. Samuel saw and recorded the best and worst of Israel and its first kings. He fulfilled his mother's prayers in serving God.
What do your prayers of thanksgiving look like? A thankful heart wants to sing so I imagine we pray gratitude with a sing-song prayer; our hearts should sing the praises of an awesome God for all God has done for us. We may even be called to pray a prophetic word to those around us about how we believe God is and will be involved in our lives and our situations. A prayer of thanks blesses God.
PRAYER: Holy Lord, be glorified in our lives today. Make our hearts sing with gladness our praises to You for Your loving kindness in our lives. We needed You and You responded. Certain closed doors flung open and we entered into the joy of Your salvation. Open doors leading to our destruction suddenly closed and we were spared; for all of this, thank You! Lord, during this month, we thank You for our pastors and what they do on our behalf. Bless and protect them and their families; make easy their load, impart to them wisdom and may we be receptive to their teaching and leadership. All this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! This being Pastor Appreciation Month, show some love for your pastor(s)!
Eradio Valverde
