Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Explosion of Praise Read 1 Samuel 2:1-11 Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD, in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 1 Samuel 2:1 When God answers prayers, some believers forget to praise and thank Him in their celebration of joy. It has often been said that to have mental health we need to have an ever grateful heart that appreciates all the blessings around us. And gratitude to God should not be mere words alone but an act of even greater devotion to God and deeper concern for the things that matter to Him. Hannah exploded in a song of gratitude when God answered her prayer for a child. In her prayer of joyful praise, the theme is God’s absolute power. She affirms that everything is in God’s hands. No matter how difficult circumstances are for us, God is there for us. He gives the barren women children (v 5) and satisfies the needs of the poor (v 8). No matter how the proud, the wicked and the powerful make us suffer, God is there for us. He is a just God who knows and judges all that people do (v 3). In our increasingly materialistic world, it is important that we are reminded that it is God who ‘sends poverty and wealth’ (v 7). We have to guard against being caught up by the popular value system that worships wealth. Money is certainly important in life but it is not our real need. Even in its accumulation we cannot rely on our ‘own strength’ (v 9). Hannah reminds us that God is the One who will determine how rich one gets, so there is no need to worry about gaining as much as one can. Remember that God is more interested in our gain in holiness of character than abundance of wealth. Why do we burden ourselves with the stress of finding ways to gain wealth when ultimately it is God who decides how much each of us receives?