He Breaks the Mighty

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:4, “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.”

Today we continue to examine Hannah’s prayer of praise. What a wonderful reminder that God is our Defender. Romans 8:31 tells us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” When we look closely at what Hannah’s praise is all about in this verse, we see that God will break that strength of the mighty. Peninnah’s words were like arrows being shot at Hannah. She arrogantly lifted up the strength of her womb, knowing that Hannah was barren. What Peninnah seemed to forget was that the strength of her womb came from the Lord. Hannah, who was weak physically, in that she was unable to conceive and give birth to a child, sought strength in the Lord (chapter 1). She was in a position to be discouraged and give up, but she found her comfort and ability to continue worshipping the Lord in the Lord Himself. When the Israelites found themselves engaged in war against the Philistines, they cowered when the Philistine champion Goliath challenged them. It was David, the shepherd boy who was God’s chosen king, who stood up against Goliath. Note what David said that made it obvious that he was facing Goliath in God’s strength, and not his own. 1 Samuel 17:45-47 says, “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.’” Every day that we walk with the Lord, there is a good chance that we will face some sort of challenge. It may not be today or tomorrow, or even next week. However, know that we will all face some kind of trial, tribulation or challenge that will cause us to question our faith, our strength, and our ability to survive whatever troubling circumstance we find ourselves in. There will be those who gossip about us and plot to turn others against us. They may even succeed in convincing some that their falsehoods are true. Nonetheless, God is still aware of their words and their actions. Psalm 7:14-16 says, “Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. 15 He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.” The fact of the matter is that it does not matter how strong or how much influence our enemies may have. God will protect His children. He may allow us to suffer for a while, but only so that He can teach us to trust Him and teach us to be more like Jesus in our responses to those who come against us. In the blink of any eye, those who seemed to have all the strength and advantage in the world can be brought low, because there is no one who is mightier than our God. Remember, when we are at our weakest, this is when God is at His strongest. We who know Jesus as Savior have access to that strength in the Holy Spirit. I will leave you with these verses that remind us that our greatest enemy is the devil, and he will use the people around us to try and break us down. Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” God has given us all we need to overcome the attacks of those who wish to do us harm, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, and it is in His strength that we will see the ultimate victory. Jesus put it best in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).