HANNAH’S PRAYER

HANNAH’S PRAYER – ANGLICAN DEVOTIONAL

READ: 1 SAMUEL 2: 1-11 (NKJV)

1. And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2. “No one is holy like the LORD, For [there is] none besides You, Nor [is there] any rock like our God.
3. “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD [is] the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
4. “The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5. [Those who were] full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased [to hunger.] Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.
6. “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.
8. He raises the poor from the dust [And] lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set [them] among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD’s, And He has set the world upon them.
9. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail.
10. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. 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 to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

THE MESSAGE:

Hannah’s prayer is more of a compilation of her joy, the holiness and greatness of God, and some mighty acts of the Lord. She rejoiced because God had put a smile on her face. Hannah declared that God is the only holy One and a God of knowledge. He changes the condition of the hungry and the barren. God is sovereign and can promote or demote anyone. God defeats His adversaries, strengthens His king and exalts His anointed. At the end of her prayer, Elkanah with his wife returned to Ramah while Samuel ministered to the Lord at Shiloh.

After God gave Hannah a son, she magnified the Lord in her prayer when she went to fulfil her vow concerning Samuel. Prayer is a good way to communicate with God. It is very important to thank and magnify the Lord for His goodness and mercies. We can do so by singing songs of praise to God, testifying about what God has done in our lives and exalting the name of the Lord for His mighty deeds. Tell someone what the Lord has done for you last week. You can sing a song of praise today.