Hannah’s desperate prayer, the birth and dedication of Samuel, and her song of praise reveal the God who hears his people. The Lord turns Hannah’s sorrow into joy, not only for her good but to advance his great redemptive purposes. In her response, Hannah rejoices in the God who brings down the proud, strengthens the weak, and saves his people. Her praise points us beyond Samuel to the coming King, God’s Anointed One, Jesus Christ, who accomplishes the salvation of his people.

1 Samuel begins in dark days; it was the era of the Judges when “…there was no king in Israel” and “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” God’s people were in desperate need of godly leadership, but the book does not begin in a palace with a great king but in a troubled family with a barren woman named Hannah. Her circumstances offer little reason for hope; however, God was at work and would soon answer Hannah’s prayer, ushering in brighter days. This first sermon will provide an introduction to 1 Samuel and set the stage for beholding the God who works in hopeless situations to accomplish His glorious purposes through his King.

Psalm 113 puts before us the great God who is higher than the heavens yet raises the poor and lifts the needy. This remarkable contrast is displayed most fully in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who humbled himself to redeem and exalt sinners. Because our God is incomparably great and gracious, we are to praise him now and forevermore.

Trouble will come, and when it does, we are often tempted to fear, despair, or place our trust in someone or something other than God. In Psalm 31, we find David facing great trouble, but his trust remains in the LORD, his rock, fortress, and refuge. Psalm 31 calls us to trust God in the midst of our troubles and to take courage as we wait for the LORD.

Psalm 106 recounts the forgetfulness and rebellion of God’s people throughout their history and the consequences of their sin. Despite his people’s unfaithfulness, the LORD remains good and faithful, remembering his covenant and showing his people steadfast love. This psalm calls us to remember God, confess our sin, and cry out to the LORD who saves.

Because of who God is and because of what God has done, God is worthy of our praise. But Psalm 98 calls for a certain kind of praise. The psalmist exhorts us to give God joyful praise.

Our psalm for this week focuses on Zion, the city of God. Prayerfully exploring the city, taking into consideration her ramparts and citadels, ought to be an incentive for us to tell the generations that follow ours of the great and mighty God to whom the city belongs. May his praise go forth to the ends of the earth!

The LORD is to be praised by everyone and everything. God is the Creator of all, the one who sustains all and the one who saves his people. This psalm is a universal call for all to join the choir to praise the LORD.

This wonderful Psalm of David contrasts the deceitfulness and destructiveness of the wickedness of man and his evil ways with the steadfast, life-giving love of the Lord. It exposes the folly of the arrogance of those who do not fear God and encourages us to find refuge in the Lord's mercy and precious steadfast love and to trust that all who know Him will indeed be loved and cared for until the end.

Psalm 114 beautifully describes a truth our church often sings together: “Our God is victorious; He always wins.” Even more beautifully, however, it describes the believer’s blessed confidence in God’s heart that accompanies His powerful presence: ”In love He reigns over us.”