The Heart of Rejoicing

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD…..I rejoice in thy salvation. I Samuel 2:1 KJV

Hannah waited years to conceive and give birth to her first child, Samuel. Her infertility, as well as people in her life, taunted her and reminded her of her barrenness. I Samuel 1 finds her in the temple pouring her heart out to God and He gives her the promise of a son. The following year that son is born and the first few years of his life are spent being nurtured by Hannah. But at the tender age of 3 or 4, Samuel is taken to the temple to live. His life is to be devoted entirely to God. He would grow up to be God’s prophet and spokesman to Israel.

I marvel that Hannah was able to give up her child after longing for one for so many years. I marvel even more that her immediate response was one of rejoicing! How can that be? Because her ability to rejoice was found in the object of her rejoicing….God! While she could have walked away in sorrow she chose rather to exult in who God was and what God had done. She knew her life had been dramatically touched by the finger of God. Although she may not have fully understood all that God had planned for Samuel’s life, she knew he belonged to God and God takes care of those who are His.

I find similarities in the prayers of King David and Mary, the mother of Jesus. They had the kind of prayers that went something like this: I rejoice in the Lord because ____________________. While there were many reasons for the rejoicing, it was IN the Lord.

This challenges me to follow their pattern of prayer. How would those prayers sound? "I rejoice in the Lord because He saved me. I rejoice in the Lord because He has delivered me from my enemies and strongholds. I rejoice in the Lord because He is changing me. I rejoice in the Lord because He is supplying all of my needs. I rejoice in the Lord because He is God. I rejoice in the Lord because He has called, chosen, and accepted me. I rejoice in the Lord because He is good to me. I rejoice in the Lord because He is continually with me. "

Father, I spent many years thanking You for all You’ve done but failed to rejoice in You. May I learn to honor, adore, and celebrate You as I speak of You or to You. Amen.