Songs of the Soul Day 2

 

July 29, 2025



1 Samuel 2:1–10

2 Then Hannah prayed:

“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.
2 No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 “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.
4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
5 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 wastes away.
6 The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.
7 The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.

8 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.

9 “He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
10 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 his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.”



Have you noticed that some songs are birthed in brokenness, and are only later sung with a note of victory or triumph? It’s as if the song first takes "root in the soil of sorrow, watered by tears, and only later bursts forth in joy." These songs emerge from hardship: hospital rooms, lonely nights, prison cells, wilderness struggles, and the battles we barely survived.

Think of Miriam’s song in Exodus 15 that we considered in Monday’s devotion. It wasn’t composed in the safety of a palace. It was sung on the other side of a sea, just after fleeing slavery and watching God part the waters. The Israelites had been beaten down, afraid, trapped, and then God delivered them. It was out this experience that a song of triumph was composed: “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

In todays reading we encounter Hannah’s song. A song that rises from a place of deep pain that is transformed by God’s grace. For years, she had longed for a child. Remember, Hannah lived in a culture where a woman’s worth was often measured by her ability to bear children. Hannah’s inability to conceive brought her anguish, scorn, and shame. She poured out her heart before the Lord at the temple, and God heard her cry (1 Samuel 1:10–20).

When her son Samuel was born, Hannah dedicated him to the Lord’s service. But instead of clinging to the gift, she lifted up a song of praise:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

The Lord has made me strong.” (v. 1)

Hannah’s song reveals some key Biblical themes like turnaround, restoration and recovery, along with rejoicing. These are themes that are repeated throughout the Psalms and are reflected in Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46–55, there we find another song sung by a woman whose life was shaped by God's miraculous intervention.

Hannah’s song celebrates God’s sovereign hand at work in the world. She boldly proclaims that it is the Lord who gives life, lifts up the humble, and brings justice where there was none.

This hymn reminds us that God sees the forgotten and acts on behalf of those the world neglects and takes no notice of. However, in God's kingdom, the last are first, and weakness becomes the place where God’s strength is revealed (2 Corinthians 12:9).

For all the earth is the Lord’s,

and he has set the world in order.

Reflect over your life today,
How have you experienced God's reversal, lifting you up in unexpected ways?

Let’s Pray

Oh God,
You always notice the ones the world forgets, and you listen when our hearts are hurting. Help me to trust you while I wait, and to praise you when blessings come. Let my life tell the story of how good you are, and may your grace be what shapes who I am.
Amen.