Hannah exults because the Lord has answered her prayer for a
child. She has been barren and watched
as Elkannah’s other wife has borne many children. This other woman has made Hannah’s life a
misery to her and now her misery has ended.
She has seen the Lord do great things to reverse her situation and she
knows that He is able and willing to do the same in the world in order to make
His Name great. His sovereignty is over
all things and her encouragement to us is to call upon His Name in prayer that
we may see Him made great and that we may then magnify Him. She has certainty that righteousness matters
to the Lord and that He will watch over and guard their steps. She can scarcely know how important this son
will be in the history of the people.
How is it possible that people could do great things in the
Name of Jesus and yet have Him say to them, “I never knew you.” Do we know who Jesus is? Does He know us? Paul certainly thinks it important for
believers to discern the body. We cannot
simply accept Jesus as a miracle worker or a savior even when He is also to be
Lord. If we do not follow Him, doing
what He says, obeying His commands, we will hear those words. The key word for Christians is abide. We must abide in Him through prayerful
listening and worship if we are to truly know and be known. Hannah’s gracious response to the Lord’s
action on her behalf, she would never say I did great things in your Name, she
knows that only He can do anything great and all praise is due to Him.
Paul says to the Ephesians that they were once dead in
sin. Do we realize that reality and
accept it? We were not asleep in sin, we
were dead in sin, we didn’t need to be awakened we needed to be reborn and
resurrected. We were completely fallen,
not just a little bit, completely, totally depraved. I noted recently that the original service of
Morning Prayer, the confession included the phrase, “and there is no health in
us.” Modern Prayer Books no longer use
that phrase. It is truth, however, we
have followed too much the devises and desires of our own hearts and there is
indeed no health in “us”, it is that alien righteousness that has been given to
us in the person of the Holy Spirit that produces anything healthy or
good. Let us seek to live always from
the Spirit in order that we might rejoice always in the transformation of our
lives.
The whole triumphant host
give thanks to God on high;
"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"
they ever cry;
hail, Abraham's God and mine;
I join the heavenly lays;
all might and majesty are thine,
and endless praise!
give thanks to God on high;
"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"
they ever cry;
hail, Abraham's God and mine;
I join the heavenly lays;
all might and majesty are thine,
and endless praise!
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