Enlarged, Equipped and Enabled

UV 1642/10000 Enlarged, Equipped and Enabled
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
I Samuel 2 v 1
Prayer is not just asking the Lord. Prayer is getting our heart to rejoice in the Lord for mercies received. Hannah did not go away to her routine like many of us do after receiving an answer to prayer but she prayed with praise and thanksgiving with a heart full of adoration and gratitude. Gratitude is a great attitude. She did not get obsessed with her new born son but she turned her heart once again to the Lord. Her heart began to beat at the same frequency as the Lord’s. When a human heart syncs with the Lord, it resonates in the whole universe. It is the celebration of creation and the Creator rejoices with us. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength, our source of upliftment, exaltation and sustenance. It did not become Hannah’s source of strength after she received her prayer request but from the moment Eli, the priest told her , “ Go in peace. The God of Israel grant thee the petition…” Her face was radiant from the time she received the word of confirmation or assurance from Eli. Our face may not be the index of our minds as it is often said but it is certainly the index of our hearts of how we feel. Our faces should reflect the joy of the Lord.

The word “ horn” in Hebrew signified the stimulant of honour and strength. Just as a small horn on an animal grows to become its weapon of defence, the Lord stimulates the source of our honour and strength and causes it to grow. He exalts or lifts us up in the eyes, the presence and the midst of our foes. What we speak in faith He takes and brings it to pass to vindicate us and cause us to triumph. It is a wonderful and unique biblical expression employed in this uni-verse, “He enlarges our mouth over our enemies.” He will not let our words fall to the ground or our faith to sag. The edifice of our faith is built, specific prayer by prayer, specific answer by answer. We are enlarged, equipped and enabled.
Jesus is metaphorically called “ the horn of our salvation,” implying that He is the source of our strength, triumph and salvation. We need to rejoice in the Lord always. It also means that we have no confidence or reliance in the flesh or in our own strength or the powers of this world. Joy is a natural offspring of a supernatural experience. The word “ joy” has a hidden meaning- “Jesus owns you.” If we rejoice because of who we are or what we own, it is arrogance and we will be humbled but if we rejoice because of whose we are, we are exalted and blessed in multiple ways.

Prateep V Philip