Hannah said to Eli, "As surely as you live, sir, I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me. Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the Lord all his live." And he worshipped the Lord there. I Samuel 1:26-28 (NCV)
I remember holding my newborn son in the little blue rocking chair in our living room. Each time I saw the school bus pass our home to pick up or deliver the neighbor kids, I ached at the thought of someday giving him over to someone else's care at such a young age.
As I read the story of Hannah, her despair was so great. She struggled with her sense of self-confidence because she was unable to have children. She was ridiculed for her barrenness and had good reason to feel discouraged. She struggled with God's timing in answering her prayers for a son. There were days she did not eat. Her loving husband could not even comfort her. In verse ten it says, "She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish."
One day, as she poured her heart out to God, she made a vow. She told God if He gave her a son, she would give that son back to God for all the days of his life. After that prayer, her face was not sad. She was at peace with God and trusted His plan for her life.
We do not know how much time elapsed, but in verse twenty Hannah conceived and bore a son and named him Samuel! And, true to her word, after Samuel was weaned (near age three was the custom), she took him to Eli, the priest in the tabernacle, to serve in the house of the Lord.
We all struggle at times with God's timing in our lives. We receive hurtful words and criticisms. At times we are discouraged and bitter in our circumstances. Weeks, months, and sometimes years go by before we see results in our work, our service, and in relationships. Prayers seem ineffective.
How do we choose to react? Hannah found that prayers of complete surrender open the way for God to work. God took her up on her promise and she kept her part of the bargain; leaving her young son to the care of someone else for the rest of his life. There is no better place to have your child be than serving God!
When we find ourselves in despair, do we run to God in prayer? Are promises made in return for answers? Do we follow through with our promises to God when He answers our prayers? We must be confident in God and keep our commitments, even if it means giving up what is most treasured in our life. God always keeps His promises and He expects us to do the same.
Hannah found herself in complete surrender; empty hands. We have to let go. Everything we have is on loan from God. Joy is found in serving and fully giving back to Him.
Lord, take my life and let it be consecrated to You. Help us all to follow through with our commitments to You, and be confident in Your plan for our lives.
Janet Stutzman
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