Advent Devotion - Day 24

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Almighty and merciful God,
from you comes every good and perfect gift.

Your goodness has created us, your bounty has sustained us, your discipline has chastened us, your patience has borne with us, your love has redeemed us.

Give us a heart to love and serve you, and enable us to show your thankfulness for all your goodness and mercy by giving up ourselves to your service, and cheerfully submitting in all things to your blessed will;

through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

The Book of Worship 1965

1 Samuel 2:1-10
New International Version

Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
  in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
  for I delight in your deliverance.
² “There is no one holy like the LORD;
  there is no one besides you;
  there is no Rock like our God.
³ “Do not keep talking so proudly
  or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
  and by him deeds are weighed.
⁴ “The bows of the warriors are broken,
  but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
  but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
  but she who has had many sons pines away.
⁶ “The LORD brings death and makes alive;
  he brings down to the grave and raises up.
⁷ The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
  he humbles and he exalts.
⁸ He raises the poor from the dust
  and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
  and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
  on them he has set the world.
⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
  but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
¹⁰ those who oppose the LORD will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
  the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
  and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

How do you celebrate good news in your life? One of the fascinating aspects of this passage is how Hannah responds to this gift of a child. She prays and gives thanks to God for the gift He has blessed her with. There are many ways that we celebrate good news in today’s culture. This past September, my family celebrated my great-grandmother’s 100th birthday. We gathered together as a family at the Senior Center in Waurika, Oklahoma to celebrate the wonderful life that she had lived. Family and friends from near and far came to spend the day with her. Just a few weeks later, she passed away. As I reflect on the life of my great-grandmother and remember all the Sunday afternoons spent at her house, there is not a single memory from those days that didn’t involve praying together as a family. For the smallest of things, she led our family in prayer. For life-changing events, she prayed for our family. The gift of life and the gift of family were reasons enough for her to celebrate what God has done, and she celebrated by doing what she loved most, praying to her Heavenly Father.

Advent is a season that reminds us of the greatest day in history, the day that our Savior was born. The day that the promises of God came true in the form of a baby. That child would grow to become the Savior of the world. This is a precious season. It is easy to take this time for granted as we are distracted by Christmas services, family gatherings, and buying gifts. I pray that in this season we can slow down and celebrate what God has done for us. That we can be like Hannah, who in the midst of celebration, prayed to thank God for His goodness.