Then Hannah prayed and said,
There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.

--Samuel 2: 1-8

Reflection
When Hannah prays to God it is with her whole heart and her whole being rejoicing in God’s presence in her life. She knows that He has and will always be with her and care for her in her most difficult times.

Even more than that, in verses 4 and 5 Hannah knows that God reverses what is to what should be. Those who have stumbled, those who are hungry, and in any way feel to be less are lifted up by God. And the wicked who seem to “have it all” are brought down.

When I read scripture, I associate first with the righteous one; I am like Hannah. But, what if I am arrogant and full of myself, or have plenty of food and don’t share it, or all of those other ways we all fall short of who God means for us to be and who He has created us to become. I think the “great reversal” is ever changing as we grow in our relationship with God.

Hannah’s focus was on God and not what she wanted for herself. She prayed for a son and promises him to God, in His service. Hannah’s hope, and ours, is always in the Lord.

-- Jan Baumann

Questions
Must the “great reversal” mean the bringing up of some and taking down of others? Why or why not?

Prayer
God of great reversals, you bring transformation, relief, peace, and joy in ways and at times that are utterly unexpected. After we have been raised up from the dust, never let us forget what it was like to be so down. Amen.