Pray with Thanksgiving
Hannah’s song is one of the greatest prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God found in the entire Bible. Comparisons have often been drawn between the basic themes of Hannah’s song and those of Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55; for example, cf. 2:4, 7–8 with Luke 1:52; 2:5 with Luke 1:53), and also with the hymn of praise to the Lord found in Psalm 113 (cf. 2:8 and Ps 113:7–8a). (For a fuller discussion of the parallels, see Willis 1973.) The song begins with Hannah’s joyful affirmation of how greatly the Lord has blessed her (2:1). God has done a wonderful and mighty act on her behalf in giving her a son. Yet the real source for her joy is not her personal gain, but rather God himself. Hannah views her own deliverance as something that both exalts the Lord and enables her to exult in God for his grace as a response to her enemies. In the three poetic lines of 2:2, Hannah addresses God with a remarkably profound description of his excellencies: He is one who is absolutely holy, completely unique (there is no God but the Lord), and supremely strong. Hannah understands that God is separate from his creation; he alone is God, and in him, his people can find refuge and protection. In view of God’s exalted character, all people should bow before him because he will hold them accountable with righteous judgment for all that they say and do (2:3).