Thursday 22 Dec 2022

December 22: 1 Samuel 1:24-28

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:28
So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.

Devotion:
There are some places in the bible which many of us struggle with; this is probably one of them too! Elkanah had two wives, one called Penennah and the other called Hannah. Peninnah had children from the marriage, but Hannah did not. She was distraught and one day prayed to God in earnest asking for a son; in return she was willing to give him to the Lord...

I can tell you from experience it is a terrible thing to be faced with the possibility of having to give up on a child! Both of my children were in critical care in hospital when they were very young – somehow you can face that and accept whatever the outcome. But later I was faced with having them taken away from me during my divorce – that I could not accept!

And yet, Hannah was willing to give her child back to God if she was able to have one after she prayed such words. Eli, the priest, assumed she was drunk because she was praying so earnestly it showed outwardly. When he found out she was praying with such emotion he blessed her and I’m sure asked God to fulfil her prayers after that!

When the time came and the boy was weaned, Hannah took him to the temple and literally gave him into God’s care to the priest, the same one who had assumed she was drunk! That must have been one of the hardest things to do!

The moral of this story – be very careful what you pray for because you should live up to any promises you make through prayer!

Points to Ponder:
Have you ever prayer with such passion?

Did you live up to your prayers like God has done for you?