When David stood before Goliath holding five stones and a slingshot, he shouted, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me…Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s.”

SAMUEL 17:45-47

It’s a warrior’s speech that conjures up scenes from our favorite movies. It’s bold and confident and filled with adrenaline. It’s a salute to the power of Jehovah Sabaoth, our Lord of Armies. 

Sabaoth means God who reigns over heaven and earth; over armies, angels, and the stars of the universe.

Jehovah Sabaoth is mighty and powerful and supreme. 

But the Lord of Armies also reigns in quiet rooms…in tired souls and broken hearts. 

In fact, the first time this name of God appears in scripture, it doesn’t come from a warrior or an angel, and it doesn’t boom down from heaven in Hollywood fashion. It comes from the agonizing cries of Hannah; a wounded woman who longed for a child but was unable to conceive.

She was loved deeply by her husband but he struggled to understand why her pain was so bitter. Year after year, he prayed for her to have a child, but year after year the Lord closed her womb. 

On her darkest day, scripture says that Hannah prayed with a broken heart, from the depth of anguish and resentment, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life…’” (1 Samuel 1:9-11)

It’s a prayer to Jehovah Sabaoth from a shattered heart. But that’s not the end of her story. The Lord hears her cries, opens her womb, and Hannah gives birth to Samuel who becomes one of the great spiritual leaders of Israel. We’re never told why God kept her from conceiving or why she endured such bitter pain. All we’re told is that the Lord answered her prayer.   

Hannah’s story shows us that God isn’t just the Lord of mighty warriors. He is the Lord of the tired and broken. And he hears us. In the midst of public battles or private pain, the Lord of Armies has supreme authority to intervene. 

Are your adult kids fighting big battles with bold and courageous hearts? Or are they broken with pain, just trying to survive? Whether their battles are being fought boldly or in brokenness, cry out to the Lord of Armies on their behalf and believe that he hears you. He cares. And he is able.  

Making it Personal

  • What prayer do I find myself praying year after year? If there isn’t one yet, is there something I should be praying persistently for?
  • Do I struggle to understand why God continues to allow pain and struggle in the life of an adult child? What do I need to tell the Lord of Armies about my struggle?
  • What encouragement do I feel in response to Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:1-28?
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