Everybody Has A Psalm

From:  Right Now:)

The other day as I was reading my Bible, the Lord pointed something out to me that I thought would be worth sharing.

In 2 Samuel Chapter 2 the writer records Hannah's prayer to God.  I recognized a portion of this prayer to be the same as the verses 7-9 of Psalm 113.  A couple weeks ago, we happened to hear a sermon on these verses, which is why I recognized it.  The words of the verses in the Psalm are as follows:

Psalm 113:7-9  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.  Praise the LORD! Compare that with 1 Samuel 2:1-10, if you like.


What struck me more than the actual words that were similar was the idea that this psalm very likely was Hannah's prayer that had been recorded and remembered in a psalm.  I thought "Hannah had a psalm!"  She wasn't really anybody of importance or one we would think of in connection with writing psalms, yet  she poured out her heart from the fullness of what God had done and out came this psalm.  Her words which were recorded for all time came from her wonderment of what God had done - for her.  It was marvelous and it was personal and she wasn't trying to impress anyone in her correct analysis of the situation.  She simply spoke what the Holy Spirit had welled up inside of her on seeing God do mighty works.

If Hannah had a psalm, doesn't everybody who knows God in Jesus have a psalm?  I'm not talking about adding to God's Scripture.  I'm talking about adding your voice to the many testimonies of God's great work and awesome character.  What has God done for YOU?  Don't count His faithfulness to you as a small thing but let others know of the mighty things He has done.  What you have seen does not have to compare with the parting of the Red Sea.  

People keep remaking the same hymns, and quoting the same old stories. They are wonderful testimonies of God's greatness and they should be shared, but, I wonder, are there any who have seen God for themselves?  Where are their songs, their stories or paintings?  Where is your song, your psalm?

Hannah said, as recorded in 1 Sam. 2 1, "My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD." 

 These words are helping me to see something important.  Not only is there a connection with her exulting and her strength being exalted, but there is a connection between her exulting and my strength being exalted.  Maybe that is why the Apostle Paul stresses "rejoice in the Lord".  There is a reason this same apostle wrote about addressing one another with "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs".    It is important.