As sheep to be slaughtered

In Romans 8, Paul quotes Psalm 44, saying that "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." This comes at the centre of a passage where Paul says that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. We are more than conquerors, says Paul, which sounds triumphal - and indeed it does celebrate the triumph of Jesus over death - but it also suggests that all the things Paul mentions will be part of our lives. We can expect trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and the sword. None of these things can separate us from the love of Christ, but that doesn't mean they won't be part of our lives. Which may be one of the reasons why, out of all the Old Testament references to sheep being slaughtered, Paul chooses Psalm 44.

Hannah, Mary, and having God on our side

In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah gives a prayer of thanks when she takes her son Samuel to be dedicated to God. Some of the phrases in this prayer are similar to those in Mary's prayer when she is pregnant with Jesus and goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth - a prayer which is still used by many Christians today (often called The Magnificat after the opening words in Latin). Why do these two women, one mother and one mother-to-be, both praise God by saying that he raises up the humble but brings down the strong and the mighty?

Both Hannah and Mary have a child that they weren't expecting. Hannah had been married but childless for years and had prayed for God to help her. Mary was betrothed - legally married but not yet living with her husband - and should not have been pregnant yet. The theme of both prayers is that God is in charge. Hannah has a child after it was clear that she couldn't; Mary is going to have a child when she clearly shouldn't. Both women see their situation as an indicator of God's power. Mary refers to God as the Mighty One; Hannah says that the foundations of the earth are the Lord's - everything depends ultimately on Him.

But these prayers are not just about God's power. They are also about Hannah and Mary's relationship with Him.