Three versions of the same song……

Hannah paid a price few would willingly pay. Her desperation led to a promise to God that she would deliver on. She wanted a child for herself – she had a child who would affect the lives and future of a whole nation. She gave up her only son to be raised by the priests in the temple.

And then she found a way to praise God!

 I’m bursting with God-news!
I’m walking on air.
I’m laughing at my rivals.
I’m dancing my salvation.

Nothing and no one is holy like God,
no rock mountain like our God.
Don’t dare talk pretentiously—
not a word of boasting, ever!

For God knows what’s going on.
He takes the measure of everything that happens.
The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces,
while the weak are infused with fresh strength.
The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts,
while the hungry are getting second helpings.
The barren woman has a houseful of children,
while the mother of many is bereft.

God brings death and God brings life,
brings down to the grave and raises up.
God brings poverty and God brings wealth;
he lowers, he also lifts up.

He puts poor people on their feet again;
he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,
Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—
a place in the sun!

For the very structures of earth are God’s;
he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.
He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step,
but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark.
No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle!

God’s enemies will be blasted out of the sky,
crashed in a heap and burned.
God will set things right all over the earth,
he’ll give strength to his king,
he’ll set his anointed on top of the world!  1 Samuel 2:1-10 (The Message)

I came across ‘Hallelujah’ by Amy J. Kim which is a lovely worship song based on this amazing prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Hannah’s prayer is filled with awe, wonder, love, and confidence in the most incredible God – a song that we can also learn to sing –

Creator of the world
Who tears down and builds up the broken
Healer of all wounds
Who lifts the needy from the heaps of ashes

Creator of the world Forever to be looked upon
Forever to be worshipped in this place
Healer of all wounds Who pours unending mercy
Who takes away all shame and gives His grace

The pillars of the Earth are the Lord’s
He sets the world in motion on them (we praise you)

Hallelujah

There is no one like our God
There is no one besides you
There is no rock like our God
My heart rejoices in the Lord and my strength is lifted on high.

2013 Amy J. Kim

On of my first memories of Andy is him speaking on the stage at a big conference at the University of Warwick called ‘The Upside Down kingdom.’ About how things could be different and should be different across the world. About how Jesus came to preach about a topsy turvy kingdom where the first shall be last and the humble be valued and the proud be brought to their knees. He had a vision for a world where the weak would be made strong, the poor rich, the hungry fed, the thirsty given water – the kingdom of God on earth. Too often we all lose sight of this vision. We forget to see the world through Jesus’ eyes. We see the world from the perspective of the advertising industry and media that put the rich and powerful and beautiful and successful on pedestals (and then do all they can to pull them down…..). We are drawn in to valuing people for the wrong reasons.

It is good to be reminded.

Here is my prayer based on Hannah’s prayer of praise.

Sometimes I feel like I am going to burst. I don’t know how to let the happiness out. I want to sing and dance and go crazy. I don’t know how to express what I feel about all that God has given me and done for me. I just know that I will explode if I can’t find a way to express it.

There is no one like our God. He is my rock. He is always there. Sometimes people big me up and say I’m amazing but I’m not – it is God who is amazing. It is God who gives me the strength. It is God who keeps me going.

God always knows what is going on. It may seem like He is far away but He is always close. I can’t understand why He lets the things happen that He lets happen. I will never understand. He sees it all and can miraculously bring good out of bad, happiness out of sorrow, strength out of failure.

He will turn everything on its head – that’s the plan. The kingdom of God is beginning to turn things upside down right here, right now and all of this will be brought to completion. The strong will become weak and the weak will become strong. The well-fed will become hungry and the hungry will become full. The woman desperate for children will give birth. I will all be held accountable for what I have done – and what I have not done. This is the vision I should be working towards right where I am everyday – a world vision filled with hope and compassion.

Only God has the power over death and life. Only God can bring to life. Only God’s way is truly life-giving. Only God can bring something out of nothing. God brought us to life physically and He has the life-giving power to bring me to life emotionally and spiritually.

There is always hope. That’s what keeps me going. That’s what gets me out of bed everyday. ‘He rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope’ – I love that line. I’ve seen it happen time and time again – in my own life and in the lives of people all around me. I’ve seen broken individuals take their place in the sun – learn to believe in themselves and accept themselves and respect themselves again. I have been one of those people – brought so low by constant emotional abuse and then slowly piecing together my shattered self-esteem with the help of the God who never left me and never stopped loving me.

Let’s not forget that God created the world and everything in it. He’s the only one who knows how it works. He’s best placed to show us how it should be done. He’s the right one to trust. It’s worth doing it His way.

Whatever mess the world seems like it’s in now, God will set all things right. There is a plan and I am a part of it. We all are.

Hallelujah!