A SONG CAN BE A PRAYER. 1st Samuel 2:1-10 Acknowledging God’s goodness and authority over all the affairs in life is an important part of prayer. It is difficult to find anything solid to build on in this life that does not change because of circumstances. However, I am assured that God is always present and knows everything happening. He never fails nor changes in any way. Our security, safety, and strength are in Him alone. There is no one holy like the Lord.
The Lord often works in our lives in ways contrary to our natural expectations. He brings death and gives life. He allows death to claim the body and then will resurrect that body. He makes rich people poor and poor people rich according to His sovereign will. He humbles the proud and gives grace to the humble. He can lift the poverty-stricken person and place them in a position of honor.
This is a prayer of rejoicing in the Lord and His salvation. He has power to raise up and to shatter. His justice and strength prevail over all obstacles and oppression. For us to pray like this, our minds and hearts must be centered on who God is as we thoughtfully review His character and divine attributes, which are so different from ours. Thanksgiving for what He does for us in our lives is a normal response from an appreciative, spiritually-centered person.
In life's journey, the Lord directs the path of those who trust in Him, giving light to where we are and showing us what we need to see ahead. He is faithful in guiding the steps of the righteous and will give the needed strength to deal with the fear of the unknown ahead. The judgment of the Lord is always righteous and is not obscure. We will know clearly what we are guilty of and what is right.
One of the best ways believers in Christ can express their joy is by singing. Sarah, Miriam, Mary, and Elizabeth, as well as Hannah, were women who expressed their thoughts and joy in the Lord by singing praise unto Him. "Whoso offereth praise glorifies God." A song can be a prayer when there are responses to blessings received rather than requests to be made. A song can be a prayer because it is addressed to God rather than men. When we are afraid of what we see and what is ahead, we can pray.
“Our nation's and society's foundations are shaken, O Lord God Almighty! The righteous among the population wonder, “What shall we do?” The things we once trusted, believed, and practiced, O God, are disappearing in the dust of man’s vain, empty show. Family life, marriage life, social life, and even religious life have deteriorated to where there is really no meaning or joy in work or feelings of accomplishment in a job well done. I know I don’t belong here because I am just a pilgrim passing through on my way home, but despite myself, I fear I am being affected by the evil happening all around us.”
Much modern Christian music in many church gatherings is to attract people so they will attend the meetings of a church. Often, music is the main attraction, and a message from the Bible is a secondary part of a church gathering. We testify to people in many songs as we sing of grace, faith, salvation, and events that make us think about biblical truths. That is why we have Gospel singing in Gospel meetings. Christians sing of our faith and blessings and give thanks in hymns of praise in other meetings of the saints. We sing of the power of prayer, of the joys of fellowship with others, of our appreciation of the cross work of Christ in many places, and that is all quite acceptable.
By "singing and making melody in our hearts unto the Lord," we can minister to each other as believers and ourselves. By singing, words that would be discordant if we said them in a normal tone of voice are made very intelligible and beautiful. The rising and falling of cadence in singing unifies the voices of those participating, and the words are easily heard and understood. When instruments are added to the music we make with our voices, the words usually are more easily lost in the sounds, and the point of a song is lost in the entertainment of the harmony of the music, and the power of the words is diminished.
“I turn to Thee only; there is no one else to turn to for help, for there is no rock like Thee. The shaking foundations are being destroyed and leaving fear in their place, even in my home. Thou art the same Lord; let feeble men see Thou art the Sovereign God of the universe, before whom all men shall bow. I bow before Thy face with reverence and respect, knowing Thee as my Lord and my God and with trust and gladness because I know You are my gracious heavenly Father.”
Many spiritual songs and psalms are recorded in the word of God to give us an understanding of the value of praise to God and us. Hannah's song at the beginning of First Samuel and David's at the end of Second Samuel are very much alike. These songs are directed to the Lord in praise, thanksgiving, and worship. Hannah’s second prayer is given as a song to be sung in praise to the Lord. It expresses her confidence in God’s sovereignty and thankfulness for all He had done. Her prayer is similar to Mary’s prayer. She recognizes God is in full control of all events, which brings praise from a full and happy heart for the perfections of the Lord Himself, of which she is very conscious.
The Lord is the Source of her joy, and that could not be taken away from her. He is the Strength of her soul. A "horn" in the scriptures refers to strength given and anointing for a specific purpose in which a horn contained oil to bless. It was also used in a call to serve in some capacity and a call to worship. Horns were on the altar to maintain order in the offerings to God. The Lord is "the Horn" that keeps things in order and well controlled. The Lord was the Sound of her voice. All she had to say was about Him through whom she had triumphed, been delivered, and been raised up from humiliation. The Lord was the Salvation of her life. Now, she rejoices with great delight instead of being deeply troubled about that which was lacking because of her enemies.
Now she praises the Lord as the Holy One of whom there is no one to whom He can be compared. He is the only One who is all-sufficient. God, a Rock of safety, is firm, strong, unchanging, and a solid foundation. God is as solid as a Rock and cannot deteriorate nor be changed by all attacks against Him. In Him, we trust without reservation whether He will fail or not. Hannah had come to know Him as the God of knowledge (all-knowing). He is the One who knows our hearts and motives, and we can face all foes because He is our God. By Him is pride denounced and the arrogant brought low because He is the God of judgment. God knows what we do.
When worshippers come to the Lord, they all come in at the same level, regardless of their station in life. High and low are alike before Him when they worship in spirit and truth. Hannah sang of God's character and His work. She sang about the future that is in His hand. Her heart was filled with good words she must have learned from the scriptures she had learned from before. Her words are not mere formality, as she gives God glory for His goodness and blessings. He is in control and has all authority in heaven and on earth. All powers are subject to His sovereign will. He gives needed strength and satisfies the hungry soul with good things. He who has the keys of life and death gives life.
Hannah mentions six characteristics of God in her song. He saves us from reproach and shame. He is the Savior. He is holy in His Person and commands His own to "be ye holy for I am holy." He is true in every action and can be depended on to do what is right in every situation, regardless of what we might want. He is the "Way, the Truth, and the Life." God can be trusted to keep every promise He has made, to fulfill every prophecy He has given, and to meet every need as He sees fit. He is also the Judge of all, and His judgments are always true and reliable. We may not understand every reason for His decisions because we only have finite minds, but this we know - God is the Sovereign over all affairs of people.
Not only did Hannah sing of God's Sovereignty, but she also sang of God's Grace and Glory. When we consider God's grace, we think of Him reaching down to the lowest place where we were and bringing us to the highest possible place we could be, where we are "seated with Him in heavenly places." God holds the keys of death and life and gives eternal life. "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish" [v.6]. He is the One who will resurrect the dead. He is the God of rich and poor alike, and "there is no respect of persons with God" [v.7]. As the God of creation, He is great in glory, for "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork" [v.8]. We have experienced Him as the God of His people [v.9] who gives faith to live beyond the circumstances of life in which we are found. He will guard and guide our footsteps and lead us "in the way we should go."
“I wonder if this deception has reached my children and grandchildren. O God, hear my plea of intercession for them! There are so many voices coming at them from every side, and I fear for the family when they read books by people they do not know. The subtle voices of men who seem to have all the answers sound like a hymn when their philosophy appeals to our natural inclination.
O Lord, help them be men and women for God willing to look back again to the heritage of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Move their minds and hearts to commit themselves to reading and learning from Your word again. Help me to help them get back from the edge of compromise and forsaking the truth of Thy Word. Please make me aware of some ways I can get them to appreciate all the truths Thou has said more than ever before. May each individually commit to spiritual growth; may they never accept anything but Thy best. May the words of truth always come from my mouth so they can rely on what advice or counsel I might give them has the backing of the word of God. May each member of my family by Thyself be blest."
As the Sovereign God, we know Him as the One who rules our personal lives. "Our times are in Thy hands." We know our social life is of great interest to Him; therefore, we "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." Our family life is one of the places where He manifests Himself to us by showing concern for our preservation and well-being. Even in business life, we are to do what we do as "unto the Lord," and in national life, we are to be "subject to the powers that be." As we learn from this song-payer of Hannah's, we can be assured that our God is as solid as a Rock. He knows all that we do. He is sovereign over all the affairs of men. God is the Supreme Judge who administers perfect justice.
The coming “Anointed One,” the Messiah, the Christ, will rule as the King of Israel and ultimately the King of kings. This introduction of Our Lord Jesus Christ is significant because of the establishment of a monarchy in Israel during the lifetime of Samuel. The expressions of Hannah’s prayer/song fitted the circumstances of her time and gave a foretaste of what was ahead. In His righteous judgment, all opposition will be silenced. In the "thunder of His power," Christ, the Anointed One, will come to earth. The wicked will be silenced; adversaries will be destroyed; the living and dead will be judged, and Christ in all His exalted strength will rule as King righteously and be exalted in all the nations.