A Horn Of Rejoicing

Hannah longed for a baby. She had a loving husband and a comfortable lifestyle, but her desire went unanswered day after day, year after year. Compounding her grief was a rival wife, Peninnah, who bore children easily and taunted Hannah cruelly. Every time Hannah went to worship in God's house, Peninnah would be there jeering and reminding Hannah that God had not given her children.

Hannah lost her appetite and cried inconsolably, praying to the Lord for relief from her pain. When the priest Eli saw Hannah's wordless, fervent prayers, he concluded that she must be intoxicated. "How long are you going to stay drunk?" he asked her. "Put away your wine!" But Hannah was not drunk. She was desolate, ashamed, and in pain, and she had come to the house of the Lord to seek relief.

Eli blessed Hannah as she left, and not long after she was pregnant with baby Samuel. Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2 is a beautiful song of thankfulness and an apt reminder that the deepest gratitude so often emerges from a time of loss. Listen to Hannah's words and ponder how they might reflect moments of joy in your own life:

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’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.

Notice Hannah begins and ends her prayer with a horn of exaltation. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, what are the prayers that have been answered in your life? How can you lift high a horn of rejoicing rather than bemoaning what could have or should have been? Anyone can long for more, never satisfied with the gifts of the day, but how will you instead adjust your mindset to match Hannah's stance of awe and wonder? When, where, and how loudly will you blow your horn?

May you lift your horn high in the Lord this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennie