“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.”
— I Samuel 2:4-5 NKJV
Our verses for today are part of the prayer of praise and worship that Hannah said after she had dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord at the house of the Lord in Shiloh. Filled with thanksgiving for what the Lord had done for her in giving her Samuel, her poetic words reveal the sovereign power of the Lord to bring down those who do not turn to Him for help and to lift up those who do turn to Him.
First, the Lord can break the bows of mighty men. This means that those who rely on their own strength and power to accomplish anything in life are courting disaster from the Lord. Instead of victory in the affairs of life, they will have failure. On the other hand, the Lord can gird those who have stumbled with strength. Those who have failed in life in some way can turn to the Lord and triumph over the problems that brought them down.
Second, the Lord can force those who were full to hire themselves out for bread. This means that those who rely on their wealth can be impoverished by the Lord. Instead of living off of what they have, they can be compelled to work for someone else just to scrape by. On the other hand, the Lord can feed the hungry. Those who had nothing can turn to the Lord and be enriched with whatever they need.
Finally, she who has many children can become feeble. This means that those who rely on their own constitution and vigor can be debilitated by the Lord. Instead of enjoying the fruitfulness of health, they can be diminished and weakened. On the other hand, the Lord can cause the barren woman to have seven children. Those who were incapacitated in some way can turn to the Lord and be healed.
The message in Hannah’s prayer is that radical change is a real possibility in life. It all depends on who we rely upon. Like she did, then, let us rise up by turning to the Lord for whatever we need.