As we continue to read in the book of 1 Samuel, we are challenged to sacrifice our most prized gifts.
Lets dive into the word:
I Samuel 1:21-28 "When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.” “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lordmake good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lordat Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lordhas granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there."
To recap on what has happened in 1 Samuel thus far, Hannah had been praying to have a baby. She was weeping and completely distraught because she was unable to bor a son. Hannah chose to be honest with The Lord about her emotions and chose to pray and worship God through the confusuion. She challenges us as readers to be honest with God and to worship no matter the circimstance. We now move on to what happens after Hannah has her baby boy, Samuel.
We read from this section how Hannah praised The Lord and gave God Samuel right back. What a moment in time. When reading this part I am encouraged and inspired to check my own heart posture when I ask God for something.
What do we do when He ends us giving us that "thing"? And how is our heaert posture through it? Do we have this desire to bring ourselves glory and honor or are we so in love with Jesus that all we can do once we recieve it is give it back to Him as a sign of worship?
What we do with the gift we have longed for, shows the position of our hearts. What do we do when we get what we have dreampt of? We can see Hannah's heart posture here. Hannah gives God her son.
When we long for something for selfish gain we often times have a hard time surrendering it. We should ask ourselevs and ask the Lord to check our hearts. If we hang onto the dream to tightly it can become and idol in our lives. I once heard the saying, "Idle thoughts become idols". Our dreams and desires should always come secondary to us desiring God with our whole beings.
Matthew 22:37 "Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
What gifts have you prayed for that God has given to you? What have you done with that gift? Have you used it for selfish gain or God's glory?
When God give us good gifts it is always to advance the goodnews of the Gospel and to draw us closer to Christ in oneness with Him. I love how Hannah recieved Samuel from The Lord then gave him right back to her.
How can we surrendar what God has given us?
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I pray you would humble my heart in all areas of life, that I may be walking by your Sprirt and desiring what You have for my life. I pray that you would silence my flesh and that the fullness of your plans for my life would come to fourishian and not my own will. Jesus I pray you would conform me to the image of your Son and that all the gifts you so graciously give, would be wholly surrendered at your feet.