This week our Old Testament Lesson comes from the first chapter of 1st Samuel, and our ‘psalm’ comes from the 2nd chapter of the same book. So, in just a few short minutes we will get a very good snapshot of the beginning of the biblical book of 1st Samuel and the lives of Eli and Hannah, and Hannah’s child Samson.
Like last week we will quickly notice some interesting trajectories in the storyline of the book. The story begins with Hannah in a poor state. She’s barren, feeling abandoned by God, trampled down by those around her, and even wrongly accused of being drunk while praying! But, then that all turns around, and she gives birth to Samson – one of the great heroes of the People of God.
And, when it turns around, she breaks out into song – singing the psalm that has become to be known as “The Song of Hannah.”
It’s a beautiful piece. Scholars have noticed throughout the millennia how incredibly similar it is to the Song of Mary (The Magnificat) in the Gospel of Luke. But, what is striking about this song, and the woman who sings it, is that it’s not just about her. God granted her some personal redemption and deliverance – and yet she sings of a God who didn’t just do great things for her, but of a God who always does great things cosmically and for the whole People of God.
I find it to be such a helpful story because I think we can all identify ‘Hannah moments’ in our life – where we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Moments where nothing seems to be going right, and where we don’t feel like anyone has our back.
But, then I also think we have other ‘Hannah moments’ where things amazingly and wonderfully work out. Where we realize that we aren’t alone after all, and our prayers of word, thought, and cry aren’t just going off into a great emptiness – but are being heard by God.
And, if we can have those ‘Hannah moments,’ maybe we can also conjure up the strength to sing – out loud to God. Maybe we can then see that our little lives aren’t the only thing God is working on, but that, in the words of the old song, “He’s got the WHOLE world in his hands.”
Here’s hoping we have that kind of Hannah moment, and soon.
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