Heart of Praise

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 NIV)

In my prayer life, I can’t seem to do anything the past month, but praise! Like Hannah in the Old Testament, I cried out to God, out of fear, and I passed my NCLEX. Thank you for those of you at Creekside who prayed alongside me! Since then, I’ve felt promptings to continue to praise. I’m not sure how often I do this in my prayer times—with most of my prayers praising God rather than asking for things. I think very often I go to God more out of anguish and desperation than to just sit and worship.

Hannah’s prayer of praise (1 Samuel 2:1-11) was sung after she gave her son, Samuel, to the temple, fulfilling a vow she had prayed to the Lord three years before. I’ve never prayed for a child, but I have prayed for a job, schooling, a house—you name it. What struck me was how in her anguish, Hannah trusted God enough not only to fulfill her request, but also to use it. I had always read Hannah’s story as her somehow bargaining with God. However, after reading it again, I realize now that in her desperation she clung to God more. She prayed for something, and trusted that God hears. Not only that, she knew that he could use her story and her son for his purposes.

And so, the last few weeks, as I’ve sat and done homework, researched jobs, and gone about my day, I’ve felt I just needed to praise God. And thank Him. And wonder how he’ll use my gifts and the gifts of others around me. I’ve thanked him for how he’s moved in my community, my church, and my friend’s lives. Maybe it’s because I know November and Thanksgiving is coming. But it’s also because God is worthy of all praise, no matter what.

Miel can be reached by email here.