I Samuel 2:3 – “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God 
who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.”
Hannah’s Prayer – This verse is a segment of Hannah’s prayer. In 1 Samuel chapter 2, Hannah’s prayer gives us a glimpse into her heart. She is praying a prayer of thanks to the Lord for giving her Samuel. I find Hannah amazing. She prays and prays to the Lord for a Son, begging him, putting conditions on the request. Not conditions for God, but for her. If God gave her a son, she was going to give that son right back to God.
Promises to the Lord – How many of us when we’re desperate make promises to the Lord? We try to bargain with Him, but when we get what we want, it’s as if we’ve forgotten what we promised. We might say, “Lord, if I get that raise, I’ll give more to the church.” But when we get that raise, we go out and buy a boat instead of giving more to the Lord. Is it wrong to buy a boat, no, but when you’ve promised that money to the Lord, then it’s wrong. Hannah didn’t do that. She longed for a son, she wept for a son, and nothing. She prayed for a son, and when the Lord gave her that son, she kept her promise and gave him back to God for His service all of her son’s life. That couldn’t have been easy.
Don’t be boastful or arrogant – Hannah had been tormented by her rivals about the fact that she couldn’t have a child for her husband. She was angry, and they told her it would never happen. Her husband supported and encouraged her, but in this prayer, we see how she felt about what these ladies had been saying. She warned them that they shouldn’t be boastful or arrogant, because the Lord knows all. He knows the hearts of man and who is putting God first. These ladies were concerned about their own status, not on serving the Lord, and Hannah knew she was putting the Lord first. She trusted Him to do what is right. In the verses following our reading Hannah points out how God can turn things around. He can make the poor rich, and the rich poor. The Lord searches the heart and knows what is true.
Fix your eyes on Jesus – Keep your eyes focused on Christ. Turn from your past hurts, sins and pains and turn towards Christ, trusting that He knows your heart, your mind and your needs. Trust Him to take care of you like He took care of Hannah. He can turn things around.
Are things turning around?
Hannah’s Prayer
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.
“There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
“The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
“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.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
God is... 