From Pain to Prophetic Anointing
1 Samuel 2:10
Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered; He will thunder in the heavens against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give power to His king; He will lift up the horn of His anointed.
This verse is the last part of the prayer Hannah prayed after she gave her long awaited son, Samuel, to the LORD at Shiloh. Hannah clearly knew how God would proclaim victory over His enemies. Indeed, He had granted her victory over her barrenness and had stopped the taunting voice of her husband’s other wife. This event, however, took place before Israel had a king. Hannah’s son, Samuel, would be the priest to anoint Israel’s first two kings. Yet, Hannah declared in her prayer of dedication how God would give power to His king and lift up the horn of His anointed.
God gave Hannah more than just a son. He gave her prophetic insight into His character and the things He would do. Through her pain and desperation, Hannah cried out to God and offered her son as a living sacrifice to God if He would grant her aching desire that would not go away. God heard her cry and granted her request. She was a woman dependent upon God and committed to Him, and He used her pain to draw her closer to Him. Her prayer and declaration of faith became a prophetic word and an encouraging promise to Israel and to us.
Know with all certainty that God is greater than His enemies! His enemies are your enemies, and He will shatter all those who oppose Him. God will judge the earth, and it will not be pretty! The best and safest place to be is in Christ, who is His king. Being a Christian in today’s world is becoming unpopular and even offensive to those who have no regard for God or His word. God, however, is still sovereign, and He doesn’t cave to majority vote or popular demand. All power and authority has been given to Christ Jesus, and God will acknowledge the One He has anointed.
If the devil is taunting you today, draw closer to God and become dependent upon Him. God gave Hannah prophetic words that, when spoken, had power to defeat the enemy. We have power when we speak God’s word in declaration and promise. God will not let His word return to Him void but will accomplish what it says. God will use your pain and your struggle if you will just give it to Him. Samuel was a symbol of a living sacrifice, which is what we are called to be in Romans 12:1. God used Samuel to anoint the kings of Israel and to give them direction. Hannah’s pain was anointed! God worked through her living sacrifice to lead His nation. He will work through us as living sacrifices, as well.
Have a blessed day!