Posted by
ZSOLTAROS on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 1:01:22 PM
„Great
salvation he brings…”
(2Samuel 22,51)
Hannah’s jubilant song
of thanksgiving and David’s song of praise form a poetic frame for the books of
1 and 2 Samuel. A duo of earthlings, a mother and a king, whose entrance to the
theatre of human events was just as incidental as yours and mine, now speak of
the greatest experience we may have: they see the approaching great salvation
of God. Hannah’s gratitude for Samuel and David’s reflection on personal and national victories
are the starting points, but what they see on the horizon, God’s future mercies
closing on them, the “great salvation he brings” is the main point of their testimony.
It is not easy to be
thankful. A “Thank-you” forwarded to God in thought or song falls short of His
purposes if it deals only with the past. Guidance given, problems solved,
prayers answered are acts of a God, who is much bigger than what you and I have
seen Him to be. He is even mightier than the sum total of our common
experiences. That is why faith’s appreciation is really thankfulness projected
into the future. These songs end on the note of gratitude of greater
expectations. True thankfulness starts from the past, but takes us to the
future.
How thankful are you? What
is the tense dominating in your prayer of thanksgiving? The past tense does not
do justice to a God waiting on us in the future.
Lord, help me to turn
from my personal victories toward the approaching salvation, when the whole
World will be filled with your glory! Amen.