1 Samuel

If you missed out last week, we did kick off a new series here at church in 1 Samuel.

Let me give you the shortest summary I can.

Basically, Hannah doesn't have a baby.

She's not real happy about it.

She prays, she gets one.

There's a bit more going on there, but hopefully you heard a bit more detail.

We're going to look at the second half of Hannah this week,

so hopefully you'll get enough of the picture to know where we're going.

But I'm going to pray and pray that God will help us to concentrate and focus as we get stuck in.

Father God, we do thank you for your word.

We thank you that you've given it to us so that we might know you.

And God, I want to ask that tonight you'd give us the humility to maybe recognize where we have reduced you

or where we've made you fit into the box that we want you to fit in.

And I pray that instead you might open our eyes to see you in all your majesty and splendor.

And God, I pray that having seen you, our lives might be lived in response to that.

Amen.

Sometimes in our exuberance, we can get a little bit overexcited about things.

I don't know if you remember a little while ago, KFC decided an experiment in health food was a good idea.

And they launched the burger without a bun.

It was basically a chicken patty, cheese, bacon, cheese, and then another piece of chicken.

It was amazing.

Hard to eat, but very good.

But I repeatedly, when that came out, told people that it was the best thing that has ever been invented.

Now, at the time, you know, I kind of meant it.

But in reality, I may have got a little bit excited.

There's probably one or two things that have been invented in the history of humans that are a little bit above the old KFC double down.

But sometimes we get overexcited.

I was trying to think of other examples here, and Tashi sprung to mind, but I couldn't think of one example.

Everything that Tashi says is potentially overexuberant.

And that's why it's so great to have you around, Tashi.

But I wonder if, as we read this prayer from Hannah, as Ali read it out for us, if you begin to feel like it's a little bit overstated.

It's a little bit overenthusiastic.

I mean, without playing down the genuine despair that we saw last week and the pain that Hannah was going through,

it's kind of like her whole world has changed.

But we know the story, and her whole world hasn't changed.

You know, she starts getting really excited.

She's saying things like,

The mighty are broken.

Those who stumbled find strength.

The barren woman has seven kids.

The woman with kids has none.

The hungry are well fed.

The full are hungry.

Like, it's like everything is different.

If we turn back just one page and a few years to Hannah's first prayer,

she's bitterly weeping.

She's crying out to God to look on her in affliction.

And now she's like exploding with joy.

It's like she's jumping on the spot because she's so excited about her life.

Now, again, it's a big deal that she was barren and now she's not.

That is significant.

But is that a sufficient reason for a prayer like this?

It's not.

And that's because it's not the reason for this prayer.

It would be understandable to assume that,

but Samuel being born is the occasion on which this prayer came out.

But it's not the basis for the prayer.

There's more going on for Hannah.

And there's a few clues in what we looked at last week.

If you remember in Hannah's prayer in chapter one,

what she prays for is God to remember her.

She sees her situation in a bigger picture.

She sees her situation as part of the whole nation that needs to be remembered by God,

a nation that thinks God's love has wandered away.

And so she sees her little situation as part of a bigger work that God is doing.

Now, if you look with me in chapter one, just flick back quickly to verse 23.

Elkanah, this is Hannah's husband, says something quite profound in verse 23.

This is when Hannah has had the boy, and then instead of going back up to go to the temple,

she says, I'm going to wait a little bit longer until the boy is ready to be handed over.

And he says,

Do what seems best to you, Elkanah, her husband, told her.

Stay here until you have weaned him.

Only may the Lord make good his word.

Now, I don't know if you noticed that when it was read out last week,

but up to this point in 1 Samuel, God hasn't spoken at any point.

It's been Hannah speaking, and then the other wife, Peninnah, speaking,

and Elkanah has spoken, and the priest Eli has spoken,

but God has not spoken.

So what does Elkanah mean when he says, establish his word?

I mean, Hannah's the one who made a promise.

What he's getting at is that there is a bigger word that God has made.

There is a bigger plan that is unfolding through history,

and both Elkanah and Hannah, it's catchy,

both Elkanah and Hannah recognize that this little situation in their family

is part of something bigger.

They might not get every part of how significant it is,

but they can see that something extra is going on.

Because at this point in history, Israel has almost lost sight of who God is.

I mean, it's not that many generations back that they were rescued dramatically

out of slavery in Egypt, that the Red Sea parted,

and they wandered through on dry land.

It's not that many generations ago that they went to the mountain in the desert,

and God came down, and the mountain was shaking,

and there was lightning and thunder.

I mean, they're still kind of going through the motions of worshiping God.

They're still kind of acting like God is important for them as a country.

But if you look closely, and we're going to find out next week even more,

even the worship that they're doing,

even the church services they're holding have become corrupt and dishonest.

They've basically forgotten who God is.

They've gone from being people who were scared of Him, who feared Him,

to being people who kind of treat Him like He doesn't matter,

and there's nothing He can do about it.

Israel's forgotten their God, but in Hannah, we have God pushing His way back in.

God is making sure that He is remembered,

and He is making sure that Hannah knows, and we know,

that God will keep His word.

God will keep the promises that He has made to His people.

Now again, chances are that Hannah had no idea just how significant her son was in God's plan.

But she does seem to understand that this is about more than her little family.

She seems to have at least a glimpse.

God has revealed Himself to Hannah,

and this prayer is not just about Samuel.

This is Hannah having seen God and responding.

It's her pouring out her heart, her heart overflowing with excitement,

because she has seen God again.

Having started to maybe forget Him a little bit, along with everyone else,

she has seen Him again.

And the question for us tonight, the thing that I want you to wrestle with,

is have you settled for a smaller vision of God?

Have you, like Israel, progressively taken this exciting God that you started following,

and just trimmed Him down until it was a little bit more convenient?

Until it didn't really impact the bits of your life that it didn't want to impact?

If you think back to when you chose to follow God,

and the joy and fear and absolute commitment you had at that point,

have you, like Israel, shrunk God down,

so that He doesn't actually make a difference to you?

Well, tonight, Hannah wants to show you in this prayer,

and God wants to show you three things about Himself

that will change your life.

Firstly, God stands alone.

Look again at verse 1 with me.

Our God stands alone.

Even the fact that Hannah calls Him our God back then,

and we come to church tonight and call Him our God now,

says something about His significance.

He's not constrained by time.

He didn't exist for one generation of people.

He's not limited to one nation.

It's not like just one family got really excited about Him

and kept teaching their kids.

Our God is bigger than that.

Our God is not like any other God.

He's all-consuming and all-encompassing.

Now, that might sound like a kind of obvious statement for us in church tonight,

the idea that God stands alone.

I mean, in our context, at most,

there's probably a small handful of gods that we would acknowledge.

We might talk about the God of Muslims, the God of Hindus,

the God of...

There's a handful that we would probably acknowledge as gods-ish.

But for Israel, every nation had an absolute multitude of gods.

Gods for sun, gods for water, gods for farming, gods for fertility.

They would invent gods every other day.

And so Israel is surrounded by this catalogue of gods.

And Hannah suddenly gets this picture that her God is not like those other gods.

Her God stands alone.

He is not to be compared to these other gods.

He is not even in the same category.

And maybe this is more poignant for us than we think.

It might not be that we use the language of gods or worship

when we look at the things in our world.

But it could be that there are just as many things in our culture today

that we worship instead of God.

Or that we are convinced are more important than God.

It could be that there are just as many fake gods now as there were then.

Israel's trap in Hannah's day wasn't the trap of outright rejecting God.

It was the trap of diluting him.

Of rocking up to church and going,

Yes, God, you're the most important.

God, please help me with this issue.

But then turning around and praying to the farming God as well

just to cover their bases.

It's not that they'd walk away from God altogether

because that's obviously wrong.

But they would just grab these extra things and add them in.

They'd do what he asked them

but then they would dilute him down.

And I wonder if we do something similar.

When we say we're following God,

when we say we treasure Jesus,

have we reduced down our infinite creator

to the point where in actual fact in our lives

he's just one of the choices among a whole bunch of valid options

for us to go after, for us to obey,

for us to treasure and value.

When it comes to religion,

one of the ongoing conversations is always comparison.

Which religion is best?

Which one is most helpful?

Most right?

Which God is most impressive?

Most powerful?

And as Christians, we get in on these conversations.

We say our God is best because...

But even in our need to defend him in those conversations,

I wonder if that says that we have a slightly small view of him.

We actually do look at our God next to these other gods

and feel the need to compare statistics.

But to even think of comparing our God to anyone or anything else,

you need to reduce him so much

that he no longer resembles God as he has revealed himself in Scripture.

Now, it's not to say there's not a place for those sorts of conversations,

for religious debate,

but you've got to realize that you're not comparing apples with apples,

so to speak.

You're not even comparing apples with oranges.

It's almost like comparing apples with people.

And that doesn't even do it justice.

The gods that we compare our God to

are not even in the same category.

Hannah finally grasps,

surrounded by an infinite number of gods,

promising an infinite number of things,

that there is no one like our God.

There is no one who compares.

And Hannah celebrates three things specifically

that make him unique.

Firstly, his holiness.

It's there in verse 2.

There is no one holy like the Lord,

none who is so pure and perfect and just.

God is set apart from everything else that exists.

These other gods are within creation.

They're limited by the amount of time that creation stays around,

but God is set apart from it

because he is too pure and perfect.

And there is nothing that rightfully sits next to God.

He is holy and set apart.

Second thing, he is a rock.

Again, verse 2,

there is no rock like our God.

He is a mighty fortress,

a secure, immovable, unchanging foundation,

and in him people find refuge.

There is no storm too powerful for God.

There is no trial, no opposition,

which he does not have complete control over.

He is stronger and more powerful than anything else

because he made everything else.

Because every power that exists is from him,

from his power.

He is holy.

He is a rock like no other.

And thirdly, he is a deliverer.

There in verse 1.

For I delight in your deliverance.

Our God is the God who saves people.

He is the rescuing God.

He is the God who rescued Joseph from his brothers.

He is the God who rescued Isaac and his whole family from famine.

The God who rescued Israel from Egypt.

And the God who rescued Hannah from her barrenness.

And even though we haven't seen it yet,

God is the God who will use Samuel

to continue his plan to rescue people for himself.

No other God can claim this.

No other God has delivered on his promises.

No other God has rescued like the God of Israel,

like the God of Scripture, like our God.

No other God answers prayer like our God.

No other God looks down on Hannah's situation

and cares like our God.

And because Hannah gets this,

because she sees her holy, secure, mighty, delivering God,

standing alone and without equal,

everything changes.

This prayer is not a response to her life being completely different.

This prayer is a response to her vision of God being clear.

Look with me at verse 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.

The bows of the warriors are broken,

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

Those who are full hire themselves out for food,

but those who are hungry hunger no more.

She who is barren has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

The Lord brings death and makes alive.

He brings down to the grave and raises up.

The Lord sends poverty and wealth.

He humbles and he exalts.

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap.

He seats them with princes,

and he has them inherit a throne of honor.

For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's.

Upon them he has set the world.

Having seen God,

her world and her situation are redefined.

Having seen God,

Israel's situation is suddenly brought into sharp focus.

She no longer fears the taunts of her enemies.

She no longer fears the woman who teases her

for not having children.

She now defiantly reminds them,

you will answer to my God.

You will answer to the God who knows all things,

the God who is ever-present,

the God who is the rightful judge of all creation,

because it's his.

Suddenly, Hannah's perspective is unrecognizable.

From a bitter, weeping woman,

she now sees hope.

She is no longer limited by what's possible,

what she is capable of.

The bows of the mighty are broken.

The weak and feeble are given strength.

Israel's situation is suddenly less hopeless.

The armies queuing up around them to take over,

suddenly not so scary.

Not because they're not mighty.

Not because they're not more powerful than Israel.

But in the face of her mighty rock God.

Look again at the picture she paints.

The mighty are broken.

The feeble are strengthened.

The full are hungry.

The hungry are full.

The barren woman has kids.

The woman with kids has none.

Why?

Because it's the Lord who gives life.

It's the Lord who kills.

It's the Lord who gives everything.

Nothing exists except by his will.

And suddenly Hannah realizes that the injustice within Israel

and the oppression from outside

will not go unanswered before a sovereign God.

She sees that God has not left.

God will keep his promise

and he will bring justice.

He's the one who spoke the earth into existence.

And he is the one who will hold it accountable.

For Hannah, this new picture of God

redefines everything that she sees.

There's this fantastic quote from C.S. Lewis

where he says,

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen.

Not only because I see it,

but because by it I see everything else.

Without God, at best we see silhouettes.

We are fumbling around in a dark room.

But when we see him,

the world is illuminated.

Because he is the power that created

and the power that sustains,

he is the defining reality for all that exists.

We need to wrestle with what that means for us today.

Because it made Hannah weird.

Hannah's perspective in this passage isn't normal.

We don't look at the world and go,

you know what, the rich people,

I feel sorry for them.

The people who are healthy,

who are unlucky.

Or the woman who's got lots of kids,

that must be terrible.

Although we might sometimes say that.

Hannah's perspective isn't normal, is it?

It's weird.

She has seen God and suddenly she sees the whole world

in a way that no one else does.

She's not seeing what most people see.

I had an interesting conversation with my brother.

It was about a week ago.

He was staying with me just for a night.

My brother used to be really involved in church.

I don't know if he's a Christian.

That's between him and God.

But I would say if he is,

he doesn't take it very seriously.

But there was a time when church was really high on his priority list.

When ministry was really important.

And we were just chatting about an old Bible study group

that he used to be in when he was about 20 or 21.

And he was reflecting to me how that group was full of full-on Christians.

The extreme kind.

And he wasn't being particularly rude about them or anything like that.

But these were guys who had become missionaries and gone overseas.

Guys who had gone into ministry.

He didn't say that I was one of those.

But I feel like it might have been in brackets.

Just a subtle.

But we were having this conversation.

And in my head I was going,

I understand what you're saying.

They've kind of just basically thrown their whole life up in the air

having met Jesus.

But here's the thing.

That's not extreme.

That's what a Christian is.

Hannah's position feels weird.

It feels full-on.

It feels like it's at the extreme end.

But it's not like she's had some unique revelation of God.

It's not like some angel appeared and told her a secret that no one else knows.

She just reflected on God who had been revealed in history.

God as he was revealed in Scripture.

And that is sufficient to change her perception of everything in her life.

Change her perception of what success is,

of what matters,

of how her relationships work.

And so again,

I come back to the question.

How does your view of God

shape the decisions that you make?

How does your view of God

and his power and his significance

change the way

that you see possibilities in your life

or limitations in your life?

How much of an impact does it have

on the ambitions that you have?

The things you want to achieve?

The desires you have?

If our God is

incomparably great and powerful,

if he is all-consuming

and the source of everything that exists,

if our God will come to judge everything,

then it must affect

every part of our life.

It must shape even the little decisions,

even the seemingly mundane.

And so again,

I ask you,

do you look at the world any different

to the people who don't know God?

Or are you pretty much the same

as everyone else?

One of the fun parts of my job

is teaching scripture.

And this year,

so this week,

I was teaching year six and year three.

And we're doing roughly the same lesson,

slightly different.

And we opened the lesson this week

with a question.

It was a what would you do if scenario.

And the scenarios went something like,

you've got a sports final this weekend,

and your coach has told you that training's on tonight,

and if you don't go,

you won't be playing.

And you're at home ready to go,

and mum says,

I've got a headache.

Do you,

A,

tell her tough,

drive me to training,

otherwise I don't get to play my final.

Or B,

let her rest,

so that her headache can get better.

It's amazing how much more selfish year six got.

But the other thing that I noticed is,

year three were maybe naive,

or just really,

really selfless.

They were all like,

oh, mum looks after me so much,

I'll do the right thing,

and I'll let her rest.

I wonder if that would be true in the actual situation,

but they all knew which answer they were supposed to give.

But year six was really interesting.

They knew which answer they were supposed to give.

They knew there was something not quite right about saying,

I just want to look after myself.

So what they did was invented every possible other scenario

where they could do both.

I would let mum rest and hitchhike.

I would catch a taxi.

I would ring my friend.

I would do all this,

and I said,

no,

it's not an option.

You need to choose to do one or the other.

And it just went round and round,

and circles,

and it became really obvious that,

you know,

they didn't want to admit that ultimately,

they cared about themselves more,

but their refusal to agree to a scenario

that meant them missing out was quite telling.

Now,

I'm not having a crack at my year six class

because I'm sure I'm the same.

But the reality is,

we live in a world that is inherently self-obsessed.

The unspoken mantra of our culture is,

if I don't look after me,

then who will?

We've got this sense of what we've earned,

this sense of entitlement.

It's ours.

It's mine.

So I should be able to do with it what I want.

But I wonder how that fits with Hannah's vision of God.

Have a look again at verse six.

It's God who provides.

It's God who blesses.

He's the God of knowledge.

He's intimately involved in every situation that you face.

He knows your fears,

your concerns,

your desires.

Just like he heard and responded to Hannah's cry,

his ears are attentive to you in your life.

And in response,

Hannah warns us,

not by might shall a man prevail.

It's God who gives.

You can work as hard as you want.

Unless God gives it,

you will get nothing.

Hannah sees God and recognizes that everything

comes from his generous hand.

And everything that he has given her

exists for a specific purpose.

His purpose.

His glory.

And ultimately,

everything that exists

will return to him one day

for judgment.

Last week,

I was sharing with you

that there was something about this story

that annoyed me.

How could Hannah be so upset

about not having a child,

have a child,

and then hand him over?

It still messed with me,

but I was looking at it again this week.

But I think this prayer answers it for us.

Hannah knew that everything that she had,

including this gift of a son,

was a gift from God

for God's glory.

Even her family was something

that God had given her

for his purposes.

She rejoices.

She rejoices in the gift of Samuel.

But this prayer is not about that.

This prayer is her rejoicing

in the chance to use that gift

in the right way

in service of her worthy

and unmatchable God.

And I wonder if that is how you view

the things in your life

that are precious to you.

I wonder if that is how I view my son.

Does my son exist for me?

Or for God?

The time that you have free

on a weekend

after a hard week of work or study,

is that yours?

Or is it God's?

If you are not sure,

it's really just a question

of ownership.

I do have a responsibility

for my son

and for the money God's given me

and for the time and energy

that I use in whatever direction,

but do I use it as mine?

So do I view it as mine

to use however I want?

Or do I view it as God's?

Is the starting point

for everything in my life

Him?

Do I wake up each day

and say I have this many hours,

this much energy,

this much money,

these individuals,

these relationships

and say God,

how can I use all of it for you?

Or do I say God,

I've got a couple of hours here,

couple of hours there,

you can have this relationship,

you can have this much of my money.

What does it say

about our view of God?

Hannah recognizes

that everything

comes from God.

You and I exist

to glorify God.

That's why we are breathing

right now.

To know God,

to treasure Him,

to represent Him,

the goal is

and will always be

His glory.

And everything else

in your life

exists

to that end.

Holidays,

your job,

your school marks,

whatever's in your life

right now.

That is just

an opportunity

that God has given you

to glorify Him.

That is the purpose there.

Ask yourself this question.

If Jesus came back

right now,

would I be happy about it

or would I be disappointed?

Would you feel like

you'd missed out

on the chance

to enjoy something

that you'd earned?

Maybe a holiday

you've been looking forward to?

Maybe some money

that you've been saving up

to spend

in a particular way?

Or would you just rejoice

that God

was being glorified?

God changes

everything.

Following Him

is not a hobby.

It's not a choice

among other things.

It's all-consuming.

It's the central reality.

It defines everything.

And if God

doesn't shape

the way we view everything,

then we've either settled

for a dodgy version

or we're just going

through the motions

to keep someone else happy.

God is the defining reality

and change in us

comes not from

trying harder

to make Him

the defining reality,

but it comes

like it did for Hannah

when we see Him

clearly.

And thankfully,

Hannah gives us

the answer

on where to look.

Look at verse 9 and 10.

Hannah's prayer finishes

at the only logical place.

having begun

with her incomparable

holy God,

she finishes

with Him bringing

justice and judgment

in His creation.

Judgment for the wicked

and vindication

for the faithful.

When God judges,

He weighs the actions

of all people.

He won't look

at what's on the outside.

He won't look

at how strong you are,

how rich you are,

how influential you are.

He will look

at your heart.

He will look

at whether your heart

recognizes Him

as the giver

of every good gift.

Hannah looks forward

to the victories

that God will win

on behalf of His people

and we're going to see

a couple of them

in the next few chapters,

but she looks past

the short term.

She is looking

at the final

and ultimate victory

that God will work

for His people.

She is looking forward

to the time

when all these things

that she's talked about,

where the poor

are made rich,

where the hungry

are filled up,

will be fully realized.

She is praying

for God's eternal King,

God's chosen one

to come.

Israel's about

to get some kings.

They're about to get Saul,

they're about to get David

and that's all important,

but she's looking

beyond that.

There's a good chance

she didn't know

exactly what she was

praying for,

she didn't understand

the full significance

of it,

but ultimately

her prayer points

to Jesus.

There in verse 10,

He will give strength

to His King

and exalt the horn

of His anointed.

His anointed

is His Saviour,

His Christ.

Thousands of years

before Jesus

came into the world,

Hannah knew

that her God

would save her.

She didn't understand

fully how,

but she knew

that God

would send someone

to save

because her God

is the delivering God.

Let me read to you

very briefly

the prayer of another woman

in the New Testament.

This comes out

of Luke's Gospel

in chapter 1.

And Mary said,

My soul glorifies

the Lord

and my spirit

rejoices in God

my Saviour

for He has been

mindful of the

humble state

of His servant.

From now on

all generations

will call me blessed

for the Mighty One

has done great things

for me.

Holy is His name.

His mercy

extends to those

who fear Him.

From generation

to generation

He has performed

mighty deeds

with His arm.

He has scattered

those who are proud

in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down

rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up

the humble.

He has filled

the hungry

with good things

but has sent

the rich away empty.

He has helped

His servant Israel

remembering to be

merciful to Abraham

and his descendants

forever

even as He said

to our fathers.

what changes

in this story

in 1 Samuel

for Hannah?

What's different

for her

between chapter 1

and chapter 2?

Answer is

not a lot.

She was praying

to God

when she was barren

and she's praying

to God afterwards.

She has the same

husband.

She still has to

share that husband

with a woman

who she doesn't

get on with

very well

and at this point

Israel continues

to ignore God

and we're going

to see it

in really vivid detail

in two weeks time.

Her circumstances

don't shift enough

to warrant

a prayer like this

do they?

A child is an

amazing gift

but a prayer like this

says something

more significant

has gone on.

What shifts

for her

is her view

of God

and that

should

challenge us.

She had

but a vague

idea

that Jesus

would come

and when you

hear about

how her whole

life was

redefined

it probably

should intimidate

you a little bit

because I think

it would be fair

to say that

for most of us

our view of God

is pretty small

in comparison

to hers.

We still fear

the things

that the world

tells us to fear

we still feel

the limitations

of our own

strength

or capacity

our view

of God

doesn't look

very impressive

next to her view

let alone

next to God

himself

but the great

encouragement

of Hannah

and of Mary's

prayer from Luke's

gospel is that

we live

in light

of what Jesus

has already done.

Jesus came

to earth

for people

who have

a small view

of God.

he came

to earth

for people

like you

and me

who had

this vague

idea

but had

kind of

domesticated

it.

He came

to forgive

self-dependent

people

to forgive

self-focused

selfish people

like you

and me.

He came

to reveal

God

so that we

would see

him clearly

just like

Hannah did.

In Jesus

we have

certain hope

we have

an anchor

which will

withstand

whatever

life throws

at us

and if

you're

feeling

guilty

right now

because

your life

doesn't

reflect

the God

of the

universe

I want

to say

that that

is God's

gift to

you right

now

because

he will

use that

to drive

you back

to the

one place

where you

will find

salvation

in the

incomparable

God

who delivers.

if you're

feeling

a weight

tonight

the goal

is not

to walk

out of

here

and try

harder

the goal

is to

look to

Jesus

and like

Hannah

rejoice.

Let's

pray.

Father

God

we

we want

to acknowledge

that

so often

we do

trim

down

just how

impressive

and majestic

and glorious

you are

in so many

areas of

our life

we act

like you

don't

matter

in so

many

things

we are

more

consumed

with our

own

capacity

than with

your

power

at work

in us

and

God

we want

to ask

that you

would

open

our

eyes

to

see

you

clearly

we want

to thank

you

that you

sent

your

son

that we

might

know

you

that we

might

know

your

love

and your

justice

and your

power

over sin

and death

father

we want

to ask

that

you

would

show

us

areas

in our

life

where

we're

living

as if

you

have

no

power

lord

and as

we

confess

those

things

please

consume

the

desires

of our

hearts

with a

desire

to

glorify

you

father

god

if there

are

people

in this

room

tonight

who

don't

even

know

you

yet

who

still

think

that this

idea

of living

a whole

life

because

of who

you

are

is

weird

and

extreme

i pray

that you

would

show

them

your

majesty

that

they

would

look

to

jesus

crucified

and

risen

and

understand

that

you

are

worth

that

and

so

much

more

god

and for

those

of us

who

do

know

you

give

us

great

joy

as

we

seek

to

sacrifice

our

lives

for

the

sake

of

your

purpose

and

your

call

father

thank

you

for

your

love

even

when

we

don't

deserve

it

thank

you

for

your

son

in

whom

is

our

hope

amen