Praying Hannah's Prayer for Afghanistan and Haiti
18th August 2021
Over this past weekend, our news has been filled with the shocking scenes of people in Afghanistan boarding military transporters to flee the country in the face of the Taliban coup. We have been shocked to see people even go to the extent of grabbing hold of the fuselage of planes to try and escape the fear and uncertainty that now engulfs their country and their lives.
The atrocious events in Afghanistan almost drowned out any coverage of the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti last Saturday. Almost 2,000 people are now reported to have died in the earthquake with thousands more seriously injured and being treated in hospitals that were severely damaged by the earthquake.
We have brothers and sisters in both Afghanistan and Haiti. Fellow members of God's family who now face very difficult and extremely uncertain days ahead. Pastors in Afghanistan have already reported to have received death threats from the Taliban. Christians will face intense pressure not to gather to worship and abandon their faith. Missionaries will be trying to make the impossible decision of whether to leave or stay. If they leave, they may question whether their missionary efforts to date have been wasted - if they stay, imprisonment or death become very real possibilities.
And so I invite us to pray for them all.
In 1 Samuel 2, we find the incredible words of Hannah's prayer. Here are 5 things to pray for our brothers and sisters facing great adversity:
1. Pray they may continue to rejoice in the Lord (v1-3)
In the midst of this extreme trial, we pray that our brothers and sisters are enabled by the Spirit to continue to exalt the Lord, to praise Him, and find joy in the salvation that they have in Jesus. Jesus is unchanging and holy and so we pray that He would be their rock in these volatile situations. Even in the face of situations and enemies that seek to draw them from their faith, we pray they may stand firm in the Lord.
2. Pray that God will protect the vulnerable and the weak (v4-8)
Hannah goes onto praise God for being the one who reverses the sinful ways and conventions of this world. In a world where strength, might, pride, wealth, and position are all revered, the God of the Bible reverses this and uses the weak to display His power and strength. Might this be true for our brothers and sisters who have lost everything in Haiti, who, materially, are among the poorest. Might this be true among those who grieve or who still have loved ones missing. We pray that they would continue to put their trust in the one who laid the foundations of the world and who is in control of all of creation. We pray for churches and Christians in Haiti who are on the frontline of this disaster response and ask that they might minister in Jesus' name with love and compassion to the broken, weak, and helpless.
We do not only pray for our brothers and sisters but for all people in these nations who are vulnerable, weak, impoverished, homeless, fearful, and oppressed, and we pray for girls and women in Afghanistan unsure of what the future will hold for them.
3. Pray that God will guard and keep them (v9)
In verse 9, there is a great promise that God will guard the feet of His faithful ones. That is a promise that is true for every believer in Jesus - it is true for the believer in Scotland as well as Afghanistan. Perhaps we can be tempted to think that it is too tricky for God in some situations - it is not so. For we remember that it is our Lord Jesus who keeps us (Jude 1:24) and, because we are in Christ, we need not fear that which threatens our health and life because we live in the knowledge that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). So we pray that God will guard His people in these places knowing that He will keep them and, whatever lies before them, their eternal life is secure for it is hidden in Christ.
4. Pray that they will trust in God's perfect justice (v10)
There are so many times in this world where justice is not experienced. What is justice for those who have been forced from their homes, their families, or who have watched loved ones killed? Is there anything on this earth that can bring them true justice? I don't think so. But take heart, our God is a God of justice. He sees every evil act, every atrocity committed, and He has appointed Jesus to judge to the ends of the earth. Nothing will escape His perfect justice. He will be the one who will, once and for all, bring about justice for the oppressed. May our brothers and sisters find peace in God's perfect justice, may they be enabled by the Holy Spirit not to seek vengeance but to trust in God's judgement.
5. Pray that Jesus will continue to be exalted (v10)
But we know that judgement is not the only thing to extend to the ends of the earth. Hannah's prayer sees the first reference to 'His anointed' or 'Messiah' in the Bible as she prays for the anointed King who will rule with God's power and strength. Jesus is the King that Hannah foretold (probably a reason why Mary's Magnificat is so closely linked to Hannah's prayer) and He now reigns at God's right hand with power and might. And the rule of Jesus extends to the ends of the earth. And so we pray that, even in seemingly impossible situations, the gospel of Jesus would continue to grow and flourish. We trust that even Taliban rule is not too strong to thwart the advance of the gospel. And we pray that through the devastation of an earthquake or the darkness of oppression, the hope and good news of Jesus death and resurrection would shine brightly.
