1 Samuel chapter 2. And the passage before us is called Hannah's Prayer. Perhaps there's a title there in your Bible. It's also known as Hannah's Song. As Calvin said, singing to God is a form of prayer. When Hannah prayed, she also prayed. Before we read this text, let's give thanks to God for it and ask for his help. Once more, oh God, we come to you, praying that you would take your word and do your work in our lives. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight. This we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Here are the word of God. And Hannah prayed and said, my heart exalts in the Lord My horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none beside you. There is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly. Let not arrogance come from your mouth. For the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. Bows of the mighty are broken. The feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who are hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has born seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to shield, raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low. And he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness. For not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. Against them, he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed. The grass withers and the flower fades, but God's word lasts and stands forever. This particular book, how did it begin? From the start, we learn about this man named Elkanah, his barren wife, Hannah. She could not have any children, but her husband's other wife could. And Peninnah made sure to let Hannah know about that. Do you remember? And Hannah's circumstances led her to the point of depression. At times, her sorrow was so great, she couldn't even eat. Caused her to cry out to God. In the tabernacle, she pleaded with the Lord, please give me a son. Doing so would carry on the family name. It would lift her burden. And then she made an unbelievable vow. Lord, if you will bless me with a son, I will give him back to you. And God heard her cry. He gave her Samuel. And then she gave him back to the Lord. As chapter one closed, when Samuel was maybe three or four, she took him to the tabernacle. And left him in the hands of Eli, the priest. Samuel was set apart to serve the Lord. And Hannah gave him to the Lord. But how did she respond? After saying goodbye to her boy. Can you imagine that? The farewell must have been gut wrenching. Can you imagine the tears from little Samuel? From Hannah as she left him? It's heartbreaking to think about. What did Hannah do? Did she grumble? Did she complain? She praised God. That's what we see in this text. How was she able to do that amidst the impossible task of leaving her son behind? Her prayer tells us. As we move through Hannah's song, we no doubt learn something about prayer. This is a prayer after all. We also learn how to face the impossible tasks in front of us, whatever they may be. Health scares, financial squeezes, handling conflicts, forgiving those that have hurt us, fill in the blank for you. How do we deal with the undeniably difficult things of life? We start by directing our thoughts to the character of God. That's what Hannah immediately did at the outset of her prayer. She got right to it. She gave no buildup to speaking about God's character. She threw us into the deep end of the systematic theology pool. She said, verse 2, there is none holy like the Lord. And I understood God was transcendent, righteous and distinct from creation. And she bowed in adoration to acknowledge the beauty and purity of God. God's holiness is important for us to acknowledge. Because as one writer said, without God's holiness, his wisdom would be but subtlety. His justice, cruelty. His sovereignty, tyranny, his mercy, foolish pity. But far from being an infinite monster, God possesses a perfect and unpolluted freedom from all evil. He is holy. And Hannah praised him for it. Thanks be to God. He is not like us in sin. Thanks be to God. He is holy. Which then led Hannah to praise God for his incomparability. Verse 2. There is none beside you. There is no rock like you. Hannah knew the theology behind Psalm 89, verse 6. For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like God? There is no one like God. He is infinite, eternal and unchangeable. He is all sufficient, all knowing, all powerful. He is ever present, ever wise, ever good. He is most loving, most merciful, most patient with us. There is zero comparison with God. And Hannah felt it. Her prayer communicated a felt faith. And then she praised God for his justice. That is not something we often do in prayer. Hannah did. She had experienced injustice. And yet, as we will see later in her prayer, God works bringing judgment when appropriate. And so she worshipped the God who is just. And it makes sense that God would be just. God is righteous and good. Therefore, in a world of sin, he cannot be less than just. He must judge sin. Otherwise, God would not be righteous and good. Have you ever been treated unfairly? Has something unjust happened to you in the past? Maybe it's so bad you don't even want to speak about it with others. If so, you can resonate with Hannah's prayer as she praised God for his justice. And yet the chief quality found in God that Hannah praises him for is his saving grace. Notice how she said, I rejoice in your salvation. And you can tell this was personal for Hannah. The first person pronouns in verse 1 stress it. Look at verse 1. My heart exalts in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies. Because I rejoice in your salvation. Hannah had personally experienced God's saving grace. She could have said to know God's grace is heaven on earth. But this was a particular grace shown to her. There is no question God saves groups in grace. He saved Israel. In grace, he saves his elect. But those multitudes are made up of individuals. Who have names like Hannah. Like your name. My name. He is a gracious God. A saving God who saves individuals. Dear believer, your name is graven on his hands. What does he save you and me from? One thing we might need to acknowledge, given God's justice, is the justice owed to us. It is not just those who have grievously sinned against us that deserve God's justice. So do we. Because we have sinned against God. And yet 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 10. God saves us from the wrath to come through Jesus Christ, who took divine wrath on the cross for us. And yet Hannah specifically mentions her salvation from enemies. Her enemies were specific people like Panina. Our enemies can include the flesh, the world and the devil. God saves his people from these foes. Because God shows grace. And such personalized grace is cause for worship. No matter how many times we hear of God's grace to us in Christ, our delight should only increase. Familiarity with salvation's message should not foster indifference. It should propel praise. Hannah's prayer teaches us that. On top of that, Hannah's prayer is an example for us. It instructs us on how to pray. Particularly it encourages us to spend more time in adoring God in prayer. We do a lot of asking in prayer. And don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with making requests known to God. We are commanded to do so. Matthew 7, 7, Jesus said, you have not because you what? Ask not. But where we struggle is with reflecting on God in prayer. We don't spend time in prayer praising God for who he is. Our prayers turn into organ recitals, no offense to the organists amongst us. But our prayers can easily turn into organ recitals where we only pray for Aunt Susie's lungs and Uncle Joe's bad heart. Maybe Hannah can help us to spend more time adoring God for his holiness, his incomparability. His justice and his saving grace. In addition, maybe Hannah can help us to learn how to face what appears to be the impossible. What did Hannah do as she left her son in Eli's hands? She prayed. She spent time in prayer. She gave attention to God's character in prayer. Do you need help facing the impossible in your life? Pray. Spend time in prayer. Give attention to God's character in prayer. Meditate on His holiness, incomparability, justice and saving grace. Doing so will reorient your thinking to God who does the impossible. And who helps his people face the impossible. What did David say about the Lord in Psalm 18? For by you, I can run against a troop. By my God, I can leap over a wall. What did Paul say in Philippians chapter 4 verse 13 while sitting in a Roman jail? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That includes enduring trials. Considering God's character in prayer is how we face the impossible in front of us. So reflect upon God's character in prayer. But not only that, also reflect upon the work of God in prayer. Knowing his past work can help us to trust him for future work, even the future work that appears to be impossible. What specific work did Hannah praise God for? There are at least three recorded here in our text. The first is a reversal of circumstances. Hannah describes it in verses four to five. Look there. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has born seven. She who has many children is forlorn. Hannah started in these verses with a reversal in war like what we will find later in this book with David and Goliath. The giants are shown to be puny because God empowered the weak and then she moved to economics. The wealthy who cared nothing for the poor are left scrounging for bread while the needy are abundantly fed. God made the prince the pauper and the pauper the prince which led Hannah to her own circumstances. She was without child but Paninah who oppressed her had many and yet God turned the tables. Chapter 2 verse 21, Hannah had five more children after Samuel. It seems Paninah's womb had closed. And switcheroos like this are God's specialty. Mark chapter 5, a man filled with demons was turned into one sitting at Jesus' feet. John chapter 4, an adulterous woman at the well was turned into a follower of Christ. Acts 9, the persecuting Saul was turned into the apostle Paul. The work of God includes the reversal of circumstances in providence and in salvation. But you might wonder, does God do reversals like this today? Pastor, that was back then. What about now? I know a young man who a few years ago was homeless and without Christ. He is a thoroughgoing Presbyterian who loves Jesus, is ministering to people inside and outside the church. He owns his own business and is about to be married to a godly young lady. I also know a guy who grew up in tough times. His mother died when he was seven. He had a dad who was an alcoholic, divorced five times. He was an utter wretch committing sin on steroids, horrible transgressions. And yet today he is a Christian. With a faithful wife, four wonderful children. And he is the pastor of Cherokee Presbyterian Church. That's me, in case you didn't know. Does God reverse circumstances? You better believe he does. Remember that when you encounter health scares, financial burdens, family trouble, or other seemingly impossible situations. Praise the Lord that he reverses circumstances. Otherwise, we all would be lost and undone. Hannah understood that for herself. She blessed the Lord for his work in her life. She did not stop there. Hannah also praised God for his rule over life and death. Verse 6, the Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to Sheol and raises up. God is the giver of life and the taker of life. He is sovereign over life. Hannah experienced that. She was barren. She could not give birth to life. But God brought her life. He gave her a son. And I am sure that Hannah knew the flip side of that. She had no doubt seen death. For us, we must understand. It is God's prerogative to provide life and to take it. God rules, not us. That is something we need to remember, especially when encountering health scares, financial burdens, family trouble, and seemingly impossible situations. God reverses. And God rules. It is his right. To leave us in situations that squeeze us. Not a single one of us is entitled to a hardship free existence. And the truth is. A hardship free life. Would not be for our good. Not right now. Samuel Rutherford. How soon would faith freeze without a cross? The school of suffering is a preparation for the king's higher house. Thomas Brooks. Suffering is but a dark entry. into our father's home. Suffering is but a dirty lane to a royal palace. And it is God who rules over that dirty lane called suffering. Say with Rutherford then, Oh, what I owe to the file, to the hammer. To the furnace of my Lord Jesus. Grace tried is better than grace. It is more than grace. It is glory in its infancy. Who knows the truth of grace without a trial? No one. God rules. Our troubles are necessary. Richard Baxter, God purposely leaves me under daily wants and necessities and the daily assaults of enemies and surprise afflictions that I may be daily driven to him. He loves to hear from me. He would have me be no stranger with him. God rules in our lives, whether it is the giving or the taking kind of rule. But his rule is always a rule of love towards his people. Maybe tonight you need proof of that. Because right now you're in tough times and you're struggling with it. Perhaps it would be helpful for you to remember The last of God's works that Hannah praises. God rescues. Look at verse 7 and 8. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. Because of Hannah's barrenness, she was nothing in the eyes of society. She was a failure. She was a slave of sorts to infertility. And she was oppressed by Penina. And she could do nothing to set herself free. But God could. And God did. He rescued her. And brothers and sisters, in a greater way, he has rescued the likes of you and me in Jesus Christ. He has delivered us from the devil, from the power and penalty of depravity and from everlasting death. There is your proof of God's love. As the Christmas hymn says, why lies Christ in such meanest states where oxen ass are feeding? Good Christian fear for sinners here, the silent word is pleading. Nails spear pierced him through. The cross he bore for me, for you. Love was enfleshed in Jesus Christ. Love was crucified in Jesus Christ. When you face the insurmountable. When your burdens feel as if they are crushing the life out of you. Praise the Lord for his work. How he reverses. He rules and he rescues. Since he has already proven his love in Christ to rescue us, what will he not do for us? Given his deep and wide affection for us, will Christ abandon us now? After everything he's already done? Never. He will rescue us from what appears to be the impossible to get through. We can trust him with that. Christmas tells us so. God got this hill, preaches that to us. Prayerful reflection upon God's character and God's work will help us to believe God reverses our circumstances. God rules for our good. And God will rescue us in life and through death. We are to wait on God. We are to wait on God. To support us while we wait. Hannah gives us one more truth in her prayer. The strength of God. And it's a point that we need to remember. when facing the impossible. Hannah had already seen that strength in action in her past. Her womb was like a thousand pound door and God opened it. What about in the future? Will he show his strength then? Will God bring his might to bear as we face the impossible? Hannah said, look at verses 9 and 10. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. Against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed. From these verses, let's ask a few questions. Is there any doubts about God's strength and whether it will be given? Did you notice all the wills and shalls in verses 9 and 10 as we read them? God will guard the feet of his faithful ones. The wicked shall be cut off in darkness. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken. The Lord will judge. He will give strength to his king. And there is no equivocating with Hannah. She's not iffy about whether God's strength will be shown. It's definite. Because God is determined to do it. There is certainty regarding his strength. You can take it to the bank. God will show strength. Such truth is like wind to our sails as we navigate the troubles of life. There is no doubt about God's support. When we face the impossible, it is good to know that the everlasting arms of God are underneath. And God's arms have unmatched muscles. That means God's strength will be shown. And that is pressed even further by answering, who is God's strength against? Hannah said, the wicked. God's adversaries. And who is his strength for? God's faithful ones, his king, his anointed. It is appropriate for us to ask ourselves, which are we? Are we enemies of God or friends of God? What's the difference? That all rest on what we do with Christ. We submit to Christ. Is he our king? Have we bowed in glad submission to the Lord Jesus? Jesus is the strong savior. He subdues all his and his people's foes, even conquering their hearts. Is your heart being conquered by Jesus? Do you want Jesus to conquer your heart? There is no happier conquest than a sinner's heart overcome by the strength of Christ. How does this knowledge of God's strength help us as we face the impossible? If the Lord gave strength to his king, if he gave strength to Christ to redeem sinners, will he not give strength to those who are united to his anointed? By the Spirit. Jesus was given strength to do his ministry, to die and to rise. The strength of God flowed through his veins, as it were. As Christians, we are united to Christ. That means the strength of God will attend to us as we face the impossible. Here's an example. Some of you know the story of Amy Carmichael. She's a 20th century missionary in India. She was raised in Northern Ireland by Presbyterian parents. And as a child, her heart broke for the poor that lived in her area. One time she saw a hungry little girl about her age looking through the family window. She had her eyes on freshly baked cakes and sweets. Amy picked up a pen and paper and wrote, When I grow up and money have, I know what I will do. I'll build a great, big, lovely place for little girls like you. Years later, Amy Carmichael did that, but she did it in India. And she not only fed them physical food, she gave them the spiritual nourishment of the gospel. And yet it was not easy. It required strength from God, especially on October 24th, 1931. Amy prayed that morning, Lord, do with me as thou wilt. Do anything, Lord. that will fit me to serve thee and help my beloveds." That evening, she had an horrible accident. Amy was badly injured. Until her death for two more decades, she was in chronic pain, often bedridden. How would she minister to the children? How would she face the impossible? How can you? Whatever your circumstances are. Only by the strength of God. The last two decades of Amy Carmichael's life was filled with activity. Most of her 35 books were written during her suffering time. And her ministry to children grew and produced much fruit. How was that possible? God's strength. And since the Lord gave Christ strength to purchase your salvation, will he not give you strength? Strength to face the impossible? The Lord has provided much strength to Christ in his earthly ministry. He gave it to him. Even strength to endure the cross. Will he not give you and me strength to face the impossible before us? Trust him for it. Trust Christ for it. Jesus gave you himself. Jesus will give you strength for today and tomorrow. He is the mighty God. His grace is sufficient for your weakness. Remember that. When this week you face the impossible. Come to Christ. For strength. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh, blessed father. Thank you for your word that teaches us. Thank you for Hannah's prayer, her song. And how it instructs us in the faith. How it teaches us about your character. You are a holy God. That there is no one like you in heaven above or earth below. You are a just God. You are a God full of grace. May that lead us to praise your name, no matter what we go through in life. We pray that the work of God would be in our minds. Oh, Lord, as we face impossible asks of us, as suffering comes to us, as we wrestle with sin, We pray that our thoughts would be taken up with your character and your saving work. We pray that our thoughts would be taken up with Christ. And we cry out to you to give us strength because we know that we are weak. Oh, Lord, help us to endure. Help us to persevere. Help us to trust Christ. These things we ask in Jesus name. Amen.