“And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction 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, and there shall no razor come upon his head” (I Samuel 1:11).
I would challenge you to read the entire first chapter in 1 Samuel. You will see a portrait of woman who longed to become a mother. Hannah faced some of what Sarah faced in being barren and ridiculed. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, loved this wife deeply in spite of her inability to give him a child. When she’d had enough of the taunting from her husband’s other wife, Hannah wisely went to the temple in Shiloh to pour out her soul to God. There she vowed if God would bless her with a man child, she would dedicate him to the Lord all his days. God heard her prayer and opened her womb. Can you imagine the joy Hannah felt as she carried her baby?
She had felt so hopeless and helpless. Look at her now. She now had a special glow on her face.
She treasured every moment of her pregnancy and the time she spent with Samuel until he was weaned. Let us pause to think about how she must have felt as she brought her little son to Eli, the priest in the Temple. If she had second thoughts about her vow to God, we don’t read of them. She would get to see Samuel each year when the family made their pilgrimage to Shiloh. She kept her vow to God and gave her son back to God.
I felt led to write about Hannah as a tribute to all mothers who have given their children back to God. These children are grown and serve God as ministers and missionaries in full-time Christian service. These godly moms have let their children go so they can fulfill their calling.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER:Pray for Steve and Lori Torrison as they prepare to lead E-TEAM Panama. Pray also for Christians ministering to those affected by the flooding in middle Tennessee. What an open opportunity to be the hands and fee of Christ for those who have suffered such great losses.
