Daily Devotions |
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 |
I absolutely love the way that the Lord has caused us to look at praise. This is the first time that I have explored praise, how we work in it and how it works in us to please God. In stumbling upon Hannah I was pleasantly surprised. After giving her son to God, she returned home with a mouthful of praise. 1 Samuel 1 tells us that Hannah was barren and constantly brought her prayer for a child to the Lord. After being reassured by Eli, Hannah went home trusting that God would bless her with a son. In her trust of God, she vowed to offer her child to the synagogues for service. After beating Samuel, she keeps her vow. The passage that we are studying today was the response she gave after giving her child back to God. Can you believe that? She not only gave her child to God, but after giving her first and only child away she was filled with excitement and praise. I don't know if I can say that I would have had the strength of Hannah. But, in looking at her story it becomes clear that praise is a form of sacrifice. I admire even the sacrifice that she exemplified after giving her child to God. Hannah showed us what real praise looks like. Today's prayer was that the Lord help us to learn how to offer a sacrifice of praise before him. We wanted the Lord to have lips of worship that were bold in rejoicing even in a state of sacrifice. And as we prayed God helped me to realize that Hannah's praise reflected the ultimate will of God. God knew what he was doing in making Hannah barren for a period. The place the woman was in brought her to a place of willingness to make the vow to give Samuel to the service of Eli. In the place where Samuel was, God not only spoke to him, but God also made Samuel a powerful prophet. And the praise that was offered to Christ by Hannah was a huge part of this plan. Our sacrificial praise shows God that our trust in him is not controlled by anything but our love of him. I want to be like Hannah! I wanna operate in the will of God through my praise. I want the sacrifice of my praise to be the evidence of a heart already in submission to God. And I want to be able to exemplify crazy faith by praising God when others would not. How about you? “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. “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 ʼs; 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.” Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.”
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About the ChallengeThe 100 Days of Excellence challenge is a 100 day journey to completely rearrange the course of your life. It is about seeking the thrown of God to hear what his plan is for our lives. It is a commitment to carry out every action in your future in the spirit of excellence. Archives
December 2016
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