Hanna's Thanksgiving

Hannah’s Thanksgiving                               


Hannah was brokenhearted that she had no children. Years came and went yet her womb remained empty. A godly Jewish woman, she was dearly loved by her husband, Elkanah, who tried to console her but her barren womb yielded barrenness of heart. 

After years of disappointment, Hannah asked the priest to pray for her and promised that if God would give her a son, she would give the child back to Him. God answered her prayer and within the next year Hannah bore a son and named him Samuel. As time went by God blessed Hannah and Elkanah with five more children.

After Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the priest and dedicated her boy to Yahweh just as she had promised. Her expression of gratitude to God became a well-known portion of Scripture, known as Hannah’s Song. 

This beautiful passage exudes many attributes of Yahweh—He is Savior, holy, mighty, all knowing, powerful, compassionate, faithful, sovereign, and a righteous judge. 

The first ten verses of 2 Samuel contain her exultation of thanks to God. With grateful hearts, let’s join Hannah and lift God up using the modern language of The Message. 


“I’m bursting with God-news! I’m walking on air. I’m laughing at my rivals. I’m dancing my salvation. 

“Nothing and no one is holy like God, no rock mountain like our God. Don’t dare talk pretentiously—not a word of boasting, ever! For God knows what’s going on. He takes the measure of everything that happens. The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces, while the weak are infused with fresh strength. The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts, while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft. 

“God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up, God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up. He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives—a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are God’s; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark. No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle! God’s enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. God will set things right all over the earth, he’ll give strength to his king, he‘ll set his anointed on top of the world!” 

Our world is far from perfect. Our lives are far from perfect. But our God is perfect. 

As Thanksgiving approaches, we can look to God and be truly thankful that He is on the throne no matter what goes on around us. As always, we are thankful for God’s love, for our families, our freedom, our homes, food, and material possessions.    

But let’s have a fuller perspective on Thanksgiving this time and be like Hannah and focus on the amazing attributes of our mighty God and our wonderful Savior.    

©Connie Wohlford 2019

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving

Hannah’s Thanksgiving                               


Hannah was brokenhearted that she had no children. Years came and went yet her womb remained empty. A godly Jewish woman, she was dearly loved by her husband, Elkanah, who tried to console her but her barren womb yielded barrenness of heart. 


After years of disappointment, Hannah asked the priest to pray for her and promised that if God would give her a son, she would give the child back to Him. God answered her prayer and within the next year Hannah bore a son and named him Samuel. As time went by God blessed Hannah and Elkanah with five more children.

From Pinterest

After Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the priest and dedicated her boy to Yahweh just as she had promised. Her expression of gratitude to God became a well-known portion of Scripture, known as Hannah’s Song. 

This beautiful passage exudes many attributes of Yahweh—He is Savior, holy, mighty, all knowing, powerful, compassionate, faithful, sovereign, and a righteous judge. 


The first ten verses of 2 Samuel contain her exultation of thanks to God. With grateful hearts, let’s join Hannah and lift God up using the modern language of The Message. 


“I’m bursting with God-news! I’m walking on air. I’m laughing at my rivals. I’m dancing my salvation. 


“Nothing and no one is holy like God, no rock mountain like our God. Don’t dare talk pretentiously—not a word of boasting, ever! For God knows what’s going on. He takes the measure of everything that happens. The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces, while the weak are infused with fresh strength. The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts, while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft. 


“God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up, God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up. He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives—a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are God’s; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark. No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle! God’s enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. God will set things right all over the earth, he’ll give strength to his king, he‘ll set his anointed on top of the world!” 


WOW! What an impassioned utterance!   


Our world is far from perfect. Our lives are far from perfect. But our God is perfect. 


As Thanksgiving approaches, we can look to God and be truly thankful that He is on the throne no matter what goes on around us. As always, we are thankful for God’s love, for our families, our freedom, our homes, food, and material possessions. But let’s have a fuller perspective on Thanksgiving this time and be like Hannah and focus on the amazing attributes of our mighty God and our wonderful Savior.

©Connie Wohlford 2019

"The True Miracle of Thanksgiving"

"The True Miracle of Thanksgiving"             

Do you know about Squanto, a Patuxet brave? Are you aware of the calamity and victory he experienced leading up to the first Thanksgiving?

As we in the United States prepare for Thanksgiving this week I’m reminded of the true story of Squanto along with Proverbs 16:9, which says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” This passage can certainly be applied to young Squanto.

I want to share some of Squanto’s experience with the help of a book and a few of its wonderful illustrations by Shannon Stirnweis. The book is, The True Miracle of Thanksgiving, by Eric Mataxas. 

This book is categorized for children but the story is so good and the art so excellent I want you to have a chance to see. I recently read it to a small group of adults and they loved it.

Book Description: Every once in a great while, the hand of God is easy to see, and so it was with a lonely Patuxet brave and a struggling band of Pilgrims.

In 1608, a 12-year-old boy named Squanto was captured in America and taken to Spain as a slave. With the help of Spanish monks who taught him about God, Squanto make his way to England and finally back to his homeland.

Squanto arrived to find an empty village—a deadly virus had wiped out his entire tribe. In their place, a small group of struggling Pilgrims settled and called their new community Plymouth.

Because of his time with the monks and in England, Squanto could communicate with the Pilgrims and knew about God. Soon he became their valuable guide and true friend. 

 

"Hallelujah! Who but the glorious God of heaven could so miraculously weave together the wondering lives of a lonely Patuxet brave and a struggling band of English Pilgrims in such a way that would bless the whole world for centuries to come?"

Chuck Colson, about this book: “The only thing more amazing than this true story from American history is the fact that so few people have ever heard it. I’m glad to know that my colleague, Eric Metaxas, has written this wonderful book.”

This post shows just a few of the pages from Mataxas' book. Hopefully you get the gist of the story.

Happy Thanksgiving!

©Copyright 2017 Connie Wohlford