God’s Renewing Word of Promise
Introduction
1 Samuel 2:1-11: Today’s reading is Hannah’s prayer upon offering Samuel as a servant to the LORD. She offers God praise and thanksgiving, celebrating the ways in which God offers safety, sustenance, and care.
Scripture Reading
Hannah’s Prayer
1 Hannah prayed:
“The Lord has filled my heart with joy;
how happy I am because of what he has done!
I laugh at my enemies;
how joyful I am because God has helped me!
2“No one is holy like the Lord;
there is none like him,
no protector like our God.
3Stop your loud boasting;
silence your proud words.
For the Lord is a God who knows,
and he judges all that people do.
4The bows of strong soldiers are broken,
but the weak grow strong.
5The people who once were well fed
now hire themselves out to get food,
but the hungry are hungry no more.
The childless wife has borne seven children,
but the mother of many is left with none.
6 The Lord kills and restores to life;
he sends people to the world of the dead
and brings them back again.
7He makes some people poor and others rich;
he humbles some and makes others great.
8He lifts the poor from the dust
and raises the needy from their misery.
He makes them companions of princes
and puts them in places of honor.
The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord;
on them he has built the world.
9“He protects the lives of his faithful people,
but the wicked disappear in darkness;
a man does not triumph by his own strength.
10The Lord‘s enemies will be destroyed;
he will thunder against them from heaven.
The Lord will judge the whole world;
he will give power to his king,
he will make his chosen king victorious.”
11Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under the priest Eli.
Today’s Key Verse: 1 Samuel 2:1a
Hannah prayed: “The LORD has filled my heart with joy; how happy I am because of what he has done!”
Reflect
Some scholars believe that parts of this prayer may have been taken from older prayers that were used to give thanks after receiving God’s help. The prayer celebrates God’s power to change human situations from bad to good so that those in need are helped. According to Hannah’s prayer, what are some of the ways God helps people? Have there been times in your life when you experienced God’s help?
Pray
You fill my heart with joy, Lord. How happy I am because of what you have done! Thank you for the ways in which you care for and protect me. You alone are God. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
1 Samuel 2:12-26: Eli’s sons sin in the sight of the LORD.