Advent 2016: Strong

Readings: 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Genesis 17:15-22; Galatians 4:8-20

I woke up this morning feeling anxious. That has happened more often than I care to admit over the past few weeks. It is frustrating and troubling to me that I’ve become a person who sometimes has to manage her own fears with really consistent behavior and words to myself.

Then as I opened my advent reading, I saw the opening line of Hannah’s prayer:

My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong. (1 Samuel 2:1a)

Yes.

This.

All day long!

The Lord has made me strong.

I know that to be true. I know it because I can look at the places I’ve come from, the places I’ve chosen not to go to, and the person I am today in the face of trials and trouble.

The Lord has made me strong.

Hannah was childless in a time when that was looked down upon (so you know…since humans have been breathing) and was being bullied by the mean girls at home (she had her very own Expedia bitches). And she was tired and ready to make some deals with God.

Instead God made a deal with her. He just gave her the gift she so needed. A child. A son. And beyond that he gave her the strength to quiet her enemies!

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.
No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:1-2)

So today, I will remember my strength over my fears. I know who I am. And there is nothing to panic about just yet.

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. (1 Samuel 2:8)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.