Hope for Hannah Part 2 | 1 Samuel 2:1-11, 18-21

You know, nobody ever wrote a song called Small is thy Faithfulness. Great is thy Faithfulness is the famous hymn, and that is why you and I can have hope right now, in this moment, no matter what’s happening in our lives because God is faithful. It is safe and good for you and I to place our hope in him.

Join Erica in First Samuel chapter two for Hope for Hannah, part two. Here we go!

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Transcription:

You know, nobody ever wrote a song called Small is thy Faithfulness. Great is thy Faithfulness is the famous hymn, and that is why you and I can have hope right now, in this moment, no matter what’s happening in our lives because God is faithful. It is safe and good for you and I to place our hope in him.

Hi, I’m Erica welcoming you to the Bible for Busy People. We are studying hope this week. I hope that your cup of hope is filled to overflow, as you and I study the people in the Bible who put their hopes in the Lord. And he answered their prayers. He was faithful to them. He will be faithful to you. Last time we saw how God was faithful to hear the prayer of a woman named Hannah.

She so wanted a child and she prayed and prayed and said, Lord, I will give you, my son. If you give him to me. Just please answer this prayer. She was in anguish. She couldn’t even eat. She was so hurt. She wanted this prayer answered so desperately. She had such a desire to be a mother, and God fulfilled that desire. He always does it in his perfect timing, and that’s where the trust comes in. So, let’s read Hope for Hannah part two today. Join me in First Samuel chapter two. Here we go.

Then Hannah prayed my heart, rejoice. In the Lord.

Remember, she promised to give the Lord back her son. So, she brought him to the temple. She’s with her husband, and now she offers this prayer of praise.

My heart rejoices in the Lord. The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies. I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you. There is no rock like our God. Stop acting so proud and haughty. Don’t speak with such arrogance. For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done. He will judge your actions. The bow of the mighty is now broken and those who stumbled are now strong. Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving, are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children waste away.

The Lord gives both death and life. He brings some down to the grave but raises others up. The Lord makes some poor and others rich. He brings some down and lifts others up. He lifts the poor from the dust, and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor for all the Earth is the Lord’s, and he has set the world in order. He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone. Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven. The Lord judges throughout the earth. He gives power to the king. He increases the strength of his anointed one. Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. Elkanah, was of course Hannah’s husband, and the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli, the priest. When we met Hannah last time, she was a woman in a puddle of tears, couldn’t eat. Her husband’s other wife was making fun of her because she couldn’t have kids, but she prayed, and she trusted and she put her hope in the Lord, her God.

I’m getting chills here. And today we meet a different Hannah. A Hannah whose God heard her prayers, who gave her the desires of her heart. We can take hope in this. We can trust in the same God that Hannah did. Now we’re going to pick it up in second, no, in first Samuel chapter two. Moving down to verse, let’s see, 18:

But Samuel, her son, though he was only a boy, served the Lord just as his mama promised. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest each year. His mother made a small coat for him. Oh, how that touches my heart and brought it to him. When she came with her husband for the sacrifice. Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife Hannah, and say, may the Lord give you other children to take the place of this, of this one she gave to the Lord. And the Lord blessed Hannah and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

Many years later, the Apostle Paul would pen these words. I may not get them exactly right, but you know what? The Lord will do more than you could ever ask or imagine. That verse is somewhere in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter three. More than you could ever ask or imagine. We saw Hannah last time on her knees and anguished, and this time she’s standing her hands raised. What a strong prayer of praise you and I got to hear her pray. Her voice of hope echoes down through the generations and it says, God is faithful and therefore you and I can put our hope in him too.

We can follow Hannah’s example today. I don’t know what it is you’re hoping for. I actually have a daughter named Hannah, who’s hoping for something, and I pray for her every day. I’m like, Lord, she has put her hope in you, in your time, answer her prayer. And I know he will. And it may not look like what I’m imagining, or what my Hannah is imagining, but oh, I can tell you my friend, God is faithful. Put your hope in him. All right. Until next time. Know, you are so loved.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.

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