1 Samuel 1:25-28 NASB “Then they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. She said, ‘Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD.  For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him.  So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.’ And he worshiped the LORD there.”

Today is my son’s first birthday, so I wanted to reflect on the story of Hannah and Samuel, as I have many times over the past few years. Like many women, I found hope in Hannah’s story during a time when I wondered if God would answer my prayers to have children. And when I was pregnant with my son, I read Hannah’s story again to remind myself that the story didn’t end when God answered Hannah’s prayer!

When God gave Hannah the son that she had prayed for, she didn’t forget the vow she made to give her son back to God (1 Samuel 1:11). I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to leave her son with the priests and only visit him once a year! But not only did she fulfill her vow, she praised God for it as evidenced by her prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

I praise God for the blessing of my sweet baby boy (now toddler!) I know that he is an answer to my prayers. But looking back, I can see that waiting for an answer to my prayers will not be the hardest part. The hardest part is what comes next: giving him back to the Lord. It will not always be easy to seek God’s will for my son, over my own will. And when he is old enough to make his own decisions about God? I pray that, like Samuel, he will answer the Lord: “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” I Samuel 3:10

Lord, prepare me for what comes next!

-Kevi

 

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