So Hannah ate. Then she pulled herself together, slipped away quietly, and entered the sanctuary. The priest Eli was on duty at the entrance to God’s Temple in the customary seat. Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow:
Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain,
If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me
By giving me a son,
I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.
I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline. 1 Samuel 1:9-12 (MSG)
Hannah wanted desperately to have a child. Up to this point, she had not been able to get pregnant. Her heart was broken. Her soul was crushed. As she prayed to God, the God-of the Angel-Armies, the Lord in charge of everything, she went all in. She made a covenant with God. If he would give her a son, she would turn around and give the child back to God.
Wait. What? She pleaded for what she wanted but also was willing to let it go. She was willing to receive the gift and then release it back to God…for his purposes.
Made me wonder….do I pray like that? Do I pray with a heart that asks God for what I want not for my benefit but for his? Am I willing to receive the gifts God gives me, the answers to prayer that he provides and then turn around and give them back? Am I willing to use them for his purpose, for his glory?
And then I had to ask myself, what would happen if I did? How would I be changed if I was like Hannah and I trusted God so much with my desires that I was willing to surrender them to Him?
Father God, I know my heart is not in that place. I am asking you to help me get there. Teach me, Lord, to surrender my desires to you; to do with what you will. Like Hannah, give me the joy she had when she surrendered her gift back into your very capable hands. In Jesus Name, Amen