Word of Encouragement (08/09/2023)

"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. ¹⁰ The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." (1 Sam. 2:9-11)

This is how Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving ends. It is interesting to observe the grand scale of her thanksgiving: she does not just thank God for the conception and birth of a son to the chagrin of her rival; her thanksgiving is cosmic in its dimension—the battle between good and evil; God’s protection of the faithful and His judgment on the wicked. There is a messianic expectation, too (“he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed”). Hannah rightly saw that the redemptive reversal she experienced was not an isolated incident; it pointed to the pattern of redemptive reversal, which God had been working out in the fallen world as the Redeemer of His people, which will culminate at the Final Judgment. On that day, the first will be last and the last will be first, as Jesus said repeatedly.

How comforting it is to know that the occurrences of our lives are not just random events! They are all part of God’s grand design, taken up in the tidal wave of redemptive history swelling up toward its glorious climax. No event in our lives is unnecessary or meaningless in the grand and comprehensive scheme of God’s redemption. All our joys and sorrows, all our successes and failures, and all our triumphs and defeats are used by God to advance His kingdom and its gospel. This is not to say that there are no painful consequences to our sins or no joy and peace in our willing obedience to God. But God, who delights to use our obedience to accomplish His will, is also able to use even our failures and sins to achieve His purpose and thereby magnify His glory. Does the Bible not say, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor. 1:27-29)?

What is amazing and humbling is that the events of our lives—what we do and what happens to us—are all related to the advancement of God’s kingdom in this world. Our simple and sincere act of worship on the Lord’s Day not only brings glory to God but also plays an important role in building up the body of Christ: our faithful participation in worship and church life brings encouragement to other saints; how we worship impacts the young in age and spiritual maturity. Our prayers empower our ministers and their ministries. Our offering sustains our church ministry, supports the labors of our missionaries, and frustrates the schemes of the devil. Our kind words and deeds for the sick and needy show the love of Jesus Christ. Our perseverance through trying times in faith and hope inspires others and encourages them to do the same. All these things may have big impacts far beyond our perception and imagination. Certainly, God will never forget even the smallest things we have done for Him.

Christ has already defeated our adversaries and accomplished our salvation. Let us stay loyal to Him and share in His victory!

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