Who is God (and what does He do?)

1 Samuel 1-2; Psalms 66; 2 Corinthians 7

“’The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts…It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.’”

1 Samuel 2:6, 7, 9, 10

Hannah’s desperate cry to God for a son, who later represented God’s favour and blessing on her life as a wife and mother, took her to places of discovery with God that she would not have experienced otherwise. In the crucible of testing our hearts are examined by the Lord and what is in our heart is exposed. Hannah’s heart exposed faith in God, humility, and a willingness to sacrifice all for the Lord. She experienced God’s gift of a son; but more than that, she experienced the revelation of who God is. In surrender before the Lord, Hannah found God’s strength, mercy, provision, and honour. This is true for both individuals and for nations, just as Hannah testified.

Will we humble ourselves before the Lord?

“Lord Jesus, you are sovereign and I bow before you. May your kingdom come, for your glory.”