1 Samuel 2:1 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.
It is good, right, salutary, and natural to respond to God showing up in our lives in answer to prayer by praying, thanking, and rejoicing. Hannah had received from the Lord the gift of a son, in answer to prayer. God not only gave her a son, but thereafter blessed her with five more children. God is more than good!
God gets involved in our lives. He sent His Son into our world, our lives, our history, to bring life and salvation. He also gets involved in our daily lives on an ongoing basis by answering our prayers and meeting our needs. Our faith response is always one of thanks, praise, and rejoicing. The joy of the Lord from God entering our lives is almost inexpressible; yet God gives us ways to express the joy in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
So Hannah found a way to express inner joy in the Song of Hannah inspired by the Spirit of God in this chapter. Mary copied some of the Song in her expression of praise and joy, in the the so-called Magnificat of Luke 1. So Miriam, Deborah, Simeon, angels, and others saints have responded with poetic joy to God’s inexpressible gifts and great victories over the enemies.
In Ezra’s day the returned exiles responded to the reading of God’s Word with shouts of joy. Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Thankfully, the spirit within us can, and does, rejoice continually, for the Lord never ceases being actively involved in our lives with answers, with power and love, with inner peace, and with abiding joy. Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” All the time, in every circumstance, for the Lord is always good. The joy is in the Lord, not in us, not in the world, not even in our feelings, though our emotions will be affected by the response of faith. Whether we feel like it or not, the joy of the Lord is deep, abiding, and never changes. God is always good. Rejoice!