Given to the Lord

Hannah ‘s husband loved her deeply, and yet her heart was sad. She had no child. Year after year she went to the temple , praying through bitter tears and anguish. She vowed that if the Lord would give her a child, she would give him back to the Lord all the days of his life. And the Lord opened her womb.

Hannah named her son Samuel, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” How she must have loved her son, the fruit of years of prayer. But we read in 1 Samuel 1 that “When she had weaned him, she took him up with her…and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.”

I could not imagine giving one of my children to serve in the temple, especially a young child, just weaned. My heart feels like breaking just to think of it. And yet, we read that Hannah worshiped the Lord, and the first words out of her mouth were “My heart rejoices in the Lord.”

Hannah could only say this if she loved Someone Else much more than her son. As much as we love His gifts, we must always love the Giver more.

This is a hard truth….one that the Lord has been impressing on my heart of late. Truth is, I don’t know if I could bring myself to do what Hannah did. And I doubt if I would feel that way about it, even if I could.

But I am praying that the Lord will use my children…in whatever way He sees fit. And I am trusting that He will help me to rejoice in Him no matter what the future holds.

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord. So they worshiped the Lord there. And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord’.” 1 Samuel 1:27-2:1