Introduction

1 Samuel 2:1–11: Today, we read Hannah’s prayer of thanks and praise upon offering Samuel as a servant to the Lord. She celebrates the many ways in which God offers safety, sustenance, and care to his people.

Today’s Key Verse: 1 Samuel 2:1a GNT

Hannah prayed: “The LORD has filled my heart with joy; how happy I am because of what he has done!”

Read

2 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.
3 Stop your loud boasting;
silence your proud words.
For the Lord is a God who knows,
and he judges all that people do.
4 The bows of strong soldiers are broken,
but the weak grow strong.
5 The 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.
7 He makes some people poor and others rich;
he humbles some and makes others great.
8 He 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.
10 The 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.”

11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under the priest Eli.

Reflect

Some scholars believe that parts of this prayer may have been taken from older prayers used to express gratitude after receiving God’s help. The prayer celebrates God’s power to transform human situations from bad to good, helping those in need. According to Hannah’s prayer, what are some of the ways God helps people? Have you witnessed God acting in similar ways?

Pray

Loving Father, you fill my heart with joy. How happy I am because of your presence in my life! You alone are God, and I thank and praise you for your steadfast love and care. Amen.

Tomorrow’s Reading

Psalm 25: A prayer for guidance and protection.