Prayer

This is how Dr. Eugene Peterson interrupts the joy of Hannah in his translation 'The Message";

"Hannah prayed: I'm bursting with God-news!

I'm walking on air.

I'm laughing at my rivals.

I'm dancing my salvation." 2 Samuel 2:1 (MSG)

Answered prayer changes an individual's outlook and a servant's heart condition. Hannah previously prayed from a position of a broken heart to now a song, poem, and prayer that presented her as "I'm dancing in my salvation." Friends, humble prayer prompts thanksgiving to the Lord for his blessing and exalts him for his wondrous works. What has brought you the most joy in the past few years? The most grief? What brought relief from your grief? When things go wrong, to whom do you immediately turn? What is your initial attitude? What attitude does a person need to depend on God in prayer? 

Last week we learned that Hannah was desperate for God to intervene in her life and give her a son. Though distraught, she was humble and knew God was her only answer. This is true for us as well—not only when we are desperate for help but also when the circumstances of life are not what we want them to be. Hannah lived a long time ago—about 3,000 years ago. In the first chapter and half of 1 Samuel, she shows us the way forward when we seek transformation in our life via prayer. As recorded in the Christian Standard Bible, Hannah rejoices, lifts up her voice, boasts about the Lord, and all while celebrating her salvation. She presents to us how prayer can lead us to worship! Friends, actual dependence on God in prayer manifests itself in desperate pleas for help and joyful thankfulness for revealed blessings. When God answered Hannah's prayer, she did not carry on as usual; instead, her humility demonstrated itself again— this time in thankfulness and exaltation. 

Hannah's Song in 1 Samuel 2:1–11 embodies praise. It is a radical song of worship to the true God. She focused on the living God, her "rock," and her "salvation." Her acknowledgment of God as her "rock" is an affirmation of others in the Old Testament viewing God as a "rock" Multiple times in the "Prayer/Song of Moses," God is mentioned as the Rock. Later in 2 Samuel, we read that David refers to God as "the Rock of his salvation."

This prayer of Hannah's is not just a prayer; it is also a poem and quite possibly a song. The time and care she took to compose this demonstrate Hannah's deep devotion to the Lord and her gratitude toward Him for answering her prayers. When we read her Song, we see Hannah move from emptiness to fullness. She moves from pain to praise. Her heart moves from mourning to joy. She is a child of the One True King that is dancing in her salvation!

Notice how we leave Hannah in verses 10-11. Hannah and Elkanah left their son in Shiloh and returned to Ramah with joyful hearts and great expectations to see what the Lord would do. What a wonderful thing it is when a husband and wife are dedicated to the Lord, worship Him together, pray together, and trust His Word. Hannah went to the place of worship with a broken heart, but the Lord gave her peace because she prayed and submitted to His will.

First, Samuel 2 is Hannah's last word in the Bible. Hers is a story of transformation from pain to joy because of the radical experience with the God she worships. She will forever be known as that woman significantly transformed, that one whose life ends in worship. Can you say the same about your life? Worshiping the Lord transforms because, in worship, God meets with His people.