"Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord."
Both Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, were godly people, worshiping and living out their faith in their daily lives. Verse 11 tells us, "And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the afflictions of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life…" Clearly, Hannah strongly desired a little boy, and was willing to, if God so blessed her that way, to give the child back to God. She was willing to give over her hurts of being childless over to God, and wait upon Him and His will. Then, when she was blessed to conceive a boy child, as she had prayed for, she worshiped the Lord again, and vowed to God that the child, Samuel, belongs to God first, and then set forth to raise him accordingly.
It is not an easy thing to do—to give someone that you love, with everything that's in you, over to God. It is very costly, simply because the end result of it is unknown to us. But God does know all things—the beginning from the end—so we can trust Him with our lives, and with the lives of others, to do His perfect will! If Hannah had not been willing to live and raise their son in such a "GODLY" manner, the end result, and the cost of that result, could have been much different for Israel. It is important to remember that Samuel would not only grow up to be a worshiper of the Lord, but he would also become the godly prophet, who would eventually grieve over the downfall of Israel's first king, Saul. Samuel would also anoint the new one—the great King David. When we choose to live for God, instead of against Him, our lives are truly BLESSED!—blessed with His peace, His rest, His grace, His strength, and His Spirit—and, Oh, so much more! He doesn't always take away the hard times, but He will get you through them—just ask! The cost of following Him is sometimes hard—it can only be done in His Spirit. Deuteronomy 12:5-6 makes clear that trust in Him is very costly, for we are required to give all of what we have and all of our selves. It clearly states that in His word!
Psalm 62:8 tells us, "Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us." Jesus' cost was the ultimate—He went to the Cross, and did it in God's Spirit for all of mankind! Hannah's godly and exemplary example of how we all should be willing to live our lives for and in Jesus Christ sets an awesome path before us—"For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there." (vs. 28) Praise God—He is not only glorified in the life of Hannah, but also in the next generation—Samuel!
~ Nancy Faust
