1 Samuel 1: 28 "So I have also dedicated him
to the Lord; as long as he lives he is
dedicated to the Lord..."
Hannah was barren for many years but her
rival had children, sons and daughters (vv.
4-5). Had Hannah done something wrong
or evil that she should be barren? NO!
She agonized over desiring to have children,
and yet for a season it would not come to
pass. As she was weeping before the
Lord in worship at Shiloh, the Lord granted
her request (vv. 17-20)! When she gave
birth to her son, Samuel, she weaned him and
then brought him to Eli where he would be
dedicated to the Lord. Hannah
dedicated him to the Lord fully, without
reservations, as regarding time and purpose.
It was her desire that Samuel be in service
to God, follow Him fully and completely
without any regard for her personal wants
and needs. Hannah's desire for her son
to follow the Lord was not just religious
talk but sincere and selfless.
Sometimes
people talk about wanting their sons and
daughters to be dedicated to the Lord, but
when they do, these same parents become
barriers for them to obediently follow the
Lord! Why? Because they know the
acceptable things to say, but their heart
desires are different. Often we say we
want our children and grandchildren to
follow the Lord, but only as long as they
live near us and we can have some control
over their lives. Hannah dedicated her
son to the Lord with opened hands without
qualifications or reservations. We see
the depth of her commitment when she said,
"as long as he lives!" We should desire the
same thing for our children, that they
follow Him--follow Him completely, follow
Him all the days of their lives.
Nothing should give us any greater joy and
peace than to know this (3 John 4).
When our children serve and obey the Lord,
we know that their lives will be fulfilling,
purposeful, and blessed. Hannah was
content to let Samuel go because she knew
that he would be in the Lord's hands. May it
be our prayer and our sincere desire that
all our children serve Him, only and always!
In Christ,
Tommy Middleton
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