THE GIVER OF LIFE...NOW AND FOREVER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

1 Samuel 2:6

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Different reasons to praise the Lord God Almighty resonate throughout the prayer of Hannah found in the second chapter if 1 Samuel, a prayer she speaks after dedicating her only son, Samuel, to the Lord under the guardianship of a priest named Eli. As we come to verse 6 in this prayer, we perhaps find the most fundamental reason that we should give the Lord our fullest measure of adoration because it is He that blesses us with life…not just now but for eternity. Look again at her words here:

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

Indeed, the Lord “makes alive” for He is the great Giver of life…the Author of all mankind. We’re only here today because the Lord wished for it to be so. As Christians, we belong to Him and are His children forever, so much so that there will come a day when He will bring an end to this earthly life and our bodies will be brought “down to grave”.

Now, consider that this scripture was written in Old Testament times at the tail end of the period of judges and long before Jesus came on the scene. If these words were a comfort and blessing to people then - knowing the Lord was in complete control - how much more are these words a comfort and blessing to anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior. For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, the One who would walk among the people of earth before dying on the cross at Calvary, raised from the dead by His Father God three days. And after that victory over the grave, Jesus ascended into Heaven where He sits in honor and glory and power at the Father’s right hand. All those who place their faith and trust in Him will receive the same triumph over death and the grave, not perishing but gaining everlasting life (John 3:16).

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

And so the Lord ordains this life we have now and the eternal life to come but in between, He also ordains our opportunity to serve Him and help others come to find their own salvation through Him. It’s to be our life’s work this side of Heaven to help anyone who has not believed in Jesus to receive Him as their personal Savior, knowing that He willingly paid down His life for them and paid the penalty for sin that they deserved.

Friends, let us never cease to send up prayers to the Lord, prayers that fully extend an endless stream of praise and thanksgiving towards the One who is loving and compassionate, the One who makes us alive now and after death comes, the One who is the Giver of life…both in the present and for all eternity.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR GREAT PROVIDER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.”

“The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.”

1 Samuel 2:4-5, 7-8

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we have studied Hannah’s prayer in micro-fashion within 1 Samuel, chapter 2, we have discovered the following reasons we should praise our Lord:

1. He is infinitely powerful and sovereign above all,

2. He is perfect in holiness and righteousness.

3. He is a God who delivers.

4. He knows us fully to include everything we do.

Today, we add to this list as Hannah continues. Look again at here at these words:

“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.”

“The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” 1 Samuel 2:4-5, 7-8

Here, we see where Hannah reminds us once again how God is our great Provider, ever looking after those who less fortunate…those who stumble and need His strength to keep from falling. This truth is further affirmed by these two verses from the 37th Psalm:

If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Now, given the fact that God’s promises are always true, I’m sure there are many who can testify to the validity of these words and how God has worked wonders in their lives when they were in times of difficulty. I know I can.

And if you are presently in tough circumstances, take comfort in these words because the day is ahead when God is going to make things work out for you for He does indeed come to the aid of the poor and needy. All we need to do is be patient, trusting Him while allowing His will to be done in your lives. He will not allow us to fall, will arm us with His power, and uphold us with His mighty hand…just as He said He would.

The bottom line is that our Lord will make the way for us in life, providing just the right type and amount of help He knows we need. As He is doing this, we need to remain hopeful as believers, ever being in a spirit of praise for we know God is hard at work, especially when we are going through hard times.

In Hannah’s case…as it was for Rachel, Leah, and Sarah before her…we saw where God opened up her womb, allowed her to conceive, and then bear a child. All this took Hannah (as it did the others), from the grip of cultural shame to a place of honor, joy, and thanksgiving. He did it for them because it was His will to do so.

As we close, we need to see how this scripture passage speaks not only to those who are in need but those who have plenty as well, those who received abundant blessings because it was God’s will to bless them.

Given this, there was a call to humility in the midst of riches. Those well off weren’t to be arrogant or prideful, carrying themselves as if they were better than others. They weren’t to become selfish and self-serving. For just as easily as God provides, He can also take away, a truth we see underscored in our scripture passage:

“The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.”

And so if you are blessed with wealth, it’s because it is the Lord’s will that you are that way. Conversely, if you are going through a period of poverty, it’s because it’s the Lord will for you to be going through that as well. In either instance, the Lord is working to instruct you so you might become a more faithful, dedicated servant to Him and others. Choose to sin against Him, whether well off or poor, and you can expect His consequences because He not only has the power to exalt but humble as well.

Frankly, I don’t know about you but I would rather choose to live humbly than to not do so and force the Lord to humble me Himself.

All and all, I’m so thankful that we serve a Lord who keeps us in check…who teaches us that all things come from Him. Indeed, He is our Great Provider, just one more reason to always show Him our gratitude.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A GOD WHO KNOWS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by Him deeds are weighed.”

1 Samuel 2:3

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Thus far in Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel, chapter 2, we have seen more of an attitude of complete praise and honor unto God for His power, unique sovereignty, holiness, and deliverance. As we get to verse 3, we see Hannah provide cautionary words before providing yet one more reason to praise God. For we serve a God who knows us because His ever watching eyes see what we do.

You know, I can’t help but think that Hannah’s words against pride and arrogance were intended in part for Penninah, Elkanah’s other wife who spent so much time provoking Hannah because she couldn’t bear children. This verbal abuse certainly contained bragging and boasting intended to make Hannah feel inferior and worthless. And so as we read these words in Hannah’s prayer, we find her making it crystal clear that nothing is done outside of God’s awareness for He knows everything we do and will weigh the merit (or lack thereof) of all our actions.

Maybe you can relate to Hannah. For have you ever known someone who seemed to find pleasure in picking on others?

It’s sad but some people seem to actually get off on doing whatever they can do to bring another person down and there is no question that this behavior is against what the Lord would expect from any of His people…for He calls for us to support one another…to encourage and edify. To that end, consider these words from the Apostle Paul:

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:17-19

Did you hear God’s words to us here?

He said:

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

There’s absolutely no room for insulting or disparaging anyone whether by word or deed and we had better be obedient because He is watching for us to do so. And since He is aware of everything we think, say, and do, He’ll know whether or not we have complied with His expectations and will weigh how well we’ve done.

Friends, this is a reason for us to give thanks for in our God we have the ultimate accountability partner, the only One who can keep us completely honest because no one else can see and know everything that we do. Keeping His eyes always on us, the Lord creates an environment where no person can sin in secret and He never will turn His head and look the other way, allowing us to get away with any transgression.

In the end translation, we serve a God who is ALWAYS watching us and therefore is ALL knowing. This makes every single human being liable for their behavior ALL of the time. Let us use this truth to drive what we do so that everything – whether in thought, word, or action – is always pleasing in His sight.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THERE IS NO ONE LIKE GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no One besides You; there is no Rock like our God.”

1 Samuel 2:2

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Much of what we see in chapter two of 1st Samuel is a prayer lifted up to God by Hannah…a prayer spoken from a spirit full of thanksgiving and exaltation after the Lord answered her earlier prayer, opening her womb and allowing her to conceive, bear, and raise her only child…her son Samuel.

You’ll remember that after three years of weaning, Hannah turned Samuel over to the priest Eli as she had promised and then turned to rejoicing and praising God through prayer for a variety of reasons. These reasons form the foundation for a series of messages I am currently writing, a series that began yesterday as we looked at Hannah’s gratitude over how the Lord had delivered her from hardship to bliss.

Today, we see in verses two how she brings glory to God that He is unrivaled in His sovereignty…a God without equal. Through her words, Hannah shows us three distinct ways that He is so.

1. There is no one holier that God.

Hannah’s exact words in this verse are as follows:

“There is no one holy like the Lord…”

So what does it mean to be holy?

Here’s the textbook dictionary definition:

“exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness”

It also means to be set apart and when we combine these meanings, we get the full picture that God is separate and greater that anyone because only He is perfect in goodness and righteousness. There isn’t any other entity that qualifies.

Indeed, as Hannah proclaims:

“There is no one holy like the Lord…”

He is the standard for holiness and the best we can do is to try and aspire to Him as we are commanded by the scriptures. Look at these words from Peter’s first letter in the New Testament:

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’" 1 Peter 1:15-16

To be holy as God is holy means every believer needs to separate themselves from the ways of this world we live in, ways that would lead us into sin and away from the right and righteous living the Lord expects. Thankfully, He helps us in this regard and gives us the strength we need to set ourselves apart to seek sanctification each and every day.

2. There is no God besides Him.

Not only is no one holier than God. There is no one who is like Him in any way.

He has no equal.

God is the almighty, infinite Maker and Master of all things. Everything in all creation falls under His command and is subordinate and subservient to Him.

This provides all God believers with an awesome comfort, fully knowing that if God is with us, no one can stand against us (Romans 8:31). It also allows us to hold the same assurance and confidence found in Moses and the ancient Old Testament Israelites as we read them exalting God with the following words found in the Book of Exodus:

“Who among the gods is like You, O Lord ? Who is like You — majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out Your right hand and the earth swallowed them. In Your unfailing love, You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength, You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.” 15:11-13

Indeed, who is like our God.

The answer is nobody because He has no rival. There is no other Lord besides Him.

3. There is no Rock like our God.

Going back to verse 2, we see Hannah pronounce this:

“…there is no Rock like our God”.

So what does being the Rock mean?

Well, the word is synonymous with strength and might…and truly, there is no one stronger or mightier than God. He is almighty, infinitely powerful, and there is nothing that is beyond the work of His hands.

A rock also provides a firm foundation for one to stand on. It doesn’t shift or move. When we apply this to our God, we know we’re standing in a strong, unmovable, spiritual place when we stand upon Him and His principles. It allows us to be resolute in our faith and confident in our daily service according to His will and way.  

Friends, there’s a peace that comes in knowing we serve and trust a God such as this. It’s a peace that allows us to cast away fear and anxiety, knowing we can always seek and find our refuge in the Lord…our very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)…our constant, reliable Protector and Redeemer who is there for us whenever we need Him.

Indeed, there is no questioning that we have no other Rock like our God.

So there you have it. In one single scripture verse, we find Hannah reminding us of God’s greatness.

No one is holier.

No one is His equal.

No one can be our Rock for only He is that in our lives.

Is this not reason for us to rejoice and give praise today?

Hannah sure thought it was enough.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHAT TRUE FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:3-5

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, Independence Day (also known as the 4th of July), millions of people will celebrate their freedom in the United States. They will gather for picnics and cookouts, attend parades, and culminate the day with watching glorious fireworks displays. It’s a holiday where most people are off, a day filled with fun and enjoyment.

But here’s the thing.

There’s a large segment of those millions of people who aren’t really free because they have not yet accepted the true source of freedom, the freedom that endures for all eternity long after this temporary worldly life is over.

You see, people in America are entangled in their national history and pride so much that they believe freedom is grounded in a day 250 years ago when the nation’s founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, establishing the first thirteen American colonies as a nation liberated from British rule and tyranny. And although a democracy was born that day…a democracy we still enjoy today…it only set people free for the here and now. It hasn’t guaranteed anyone a future freedom nor will it.

This is because there is only one way to ensure that you are free now and forever, a truth that has existed since we started counting years as AD. Maybe you have never thought about that but why do we use a marker that separates BC and AD anyways? I know you have seen this used all the time but most people fail to understand that the demarcation point is the birth of Jesus.

Thus, BC stands for Before Christ and AD, short for Anno Domini, means “in the year of the Lord”, the time that Jesus came into the world to bring salvation, and yes, freedom. Not just salvation and freedom for the short term but salvation and freedom eternally. And so we base the way we look at time and years…the way we look at history…off of Jesus. He is our benchmark and yet, as mentioned earlier, there are millions upon millions of people who don’t even acknowledge belief in Him, a number that reached roughly one third of America’s population in two recent polls (Pew and Gallup). That’s a lot of people (roughly around 125 million) who think they are free and exercise that false sense of freedom to choose not to believe in Jesus, and yet they are as far away from freedom as they could be.

This isn’t just my opinion. The Word of God from the Gospel of John tells us this:

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

The Bible makes it clear and these are words from the Savior Jesus Himself. True freedom is only found in Him, the only One who God sent to save all mankind from their sins, the only One who can bring anyone to the Father (John 14:6).

When it comes right down to it, people can claim freedom through a democracy all they want but they are anchoring their liberation in a system of government and no government can or will ever be able to bring a person salvation and the associated hope of Heaven.

Only Jesus can do that. Only He can set someone free.

So what do we need to be freed from? Perhaps this is a question that needs to be answered to underscore the urgency of finding true freedom. Look at these verses from the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation which promises the return of Jesus to judge the earth and take into Heaven all who believed and trusted in Him as Savior, those who will be counted among the free:

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

Revelation 21:3-5

Within this passage, we find the promise and assurance of some of the things a Jesus believer will be free from as soon as they believe in Him and accept Him as Savior.

First, they will be free from death.

Jesus conquered death and the grave after bearing the sins of all mankind at the cross of Calvary. His subsequent resurrection and ascension paved the way for us to follow Him into Heaven once we place our belief in Him.

Second, they will be free from mourning.

There will be no more need for grief in Heaven for we will not lose anything or anybody ever again. We will live forever with God and Jesus, in the company of the other saints who gained their salvation.

Third, they will be free from crying.

There will be no need for sadness as you enter the eternity of Heaven free from all the afflictions and hardships that your worldly life brought upon you. You will only experience elation and joy over having made it across the finish line to claim your inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

Fourth, they will be free from pain.

In this, there will be liberation from all forms of pain.

No more pain from the guilt and penalty of sin.

No more physical pain from illness or injury.

No more emotional pain from any number of life events that may have left you hurt.

No matter what pain might look like in any person’s life, one thing is certain. It will be no more in Heaven and I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to that.

Finally, they will be free from the everlasting damnation and torment of Hell. 

The truth for every single person is that they are a sinner who has fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23) and, without a Savior, are destined to live in Hell after this life is over. This is because their names will not be found in the Book of Life when Jesus returns for only those who chose to believe in Him as Savior will be written down. Going back to the Book of Revelation, we read about their fate:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

Heaven or Hell. All will end up in one or the other forever after they die. The only way to make sure you'll be in Heaven and freed from Hell is to place your belief in Jesus. Today, that is about two billion of eight billion people in the world which tells you that Hell is going to be very crowded if Jesus would return right now. 

And so yes, we celebrate our nation’s independence today but true freedom will come only when the Lord Jesus returns one day to make all things new, ushering every single Christian believer into Heaven, a world that is free from every difficulty we experience in this worldly existence.

If you want to know what true freedom looks like, whether today or any other, look to Jesus and believe in Him, receiving Him as your Savior. For it is only then that you will know that you are free indeed, now and forever.  

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

REJOICING IN DELIVERANCE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Hannah prayed and said:

My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord, my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in Your deliverance.

1 Samuel 2:1

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Chapter 1, we studied the events that surrounded the birth of Samuel which included his mother’s promise to the Lord to surrender her child to him if she would be allowed to conceive. After her baby was born and the prescribed time of weaning had passed (the scriptures tell us this was three years), we saw where Hannah stayed true to her vow and left Samuel in the custody of Eli the priest. It’s where Samuel would remain until he grew into adulthood and become Israel’s final judge.

Now, you would think that this act - the surrendering of her only son to the Lord under the guardianship of Eli - would have returned Hannah to the downtrodden state of mind she was in while unable to conceive, weeping constantly and refusing to eat. But as we see in the opening verses of 1st Samuel, chapter , we see Hannah doing anything but get consumed by loss. Rather, the scriptures show us that she turned to God and prayed, not a prayer of petition like we saw in chapter 1 but rather a prayer of thanksgiving. I will be covering this prayer over the next few messages, specifically focusing on the reasons Hannah gave for praising her Lord, beginning today as we find her showing gratitude to the Lord for the way He delivers those who trust in Him.

In Hannah’s case, we know she had been barren and harassed persistently by Penninah, Elkanah’s other wife who had bore sons and daughters for Elkanah. This incessant aggravation from Penninah only stoked the sadness Hannah felt over being unable to have children leading her to not even wanting to eat. There, at rock bottom emotionally, we saw how Hannah lifted up a prayer to the Lord from her heart, pouring out her soul and promising to give her son to Him if she were just allowed to conceive and deliver. And as we have seen many times already in our study of the Old Testament, God heard Hannah’s cries for help and acted on them.

For the Lord did open up Hannah’s womb so she could conceive and birth a son who she named Samuel. This newborn boy was such a joy to his mother as she reveled in the blessing God had given her, not only in the baby she held in her arms but the deliverance he brought her from the anguish and hardship she had felt while barren. As she opens her prayer, we see where she is in a true place of joy and peace after handing Samuel over to Eli and his care, the depth of her happiness shining through as she says:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord.”

This is the same heart that she had prayed so fully from when in need, the prayer where she emptied out her frustration and despair so the Lord could fill it with rejoicing and thankfulness.

Indeed, the Lord had delivered Hannah from her hardship and she, in turn, delighted in that rescue and the victory over those who had assailed her before. Of interest, we never hear anything else out of Penninah after Hannah conceives and gives birth to Samuel because she now no longer had any leverage to torment her. And Hannah, liberated from humiliation, finds her horn lifted high symbolizing her newfound emotional strength and spiritual power granted from God.

Friends, we too, like Hannah, should feel our own sense of emotional strength and spiritual power through our Lord because He has, is, and will continue to deliver us through each and every day He blesses us with. And as we experience this daily deliverance, let us be in the spirit of rejoicing, giving thanks to the One who lifts up our spirits when life brings us down…the only One who can save us...the One who is worthy of all our honor, glory, and praise.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING FULLY TO GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

"Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good His word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord."

And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel 1:21-28

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What would you do if God asked for your most valued possession?

Would you obey Him?

And before you answer that too quickly, think about how you would respond if it were your only child?

How difficult would that be for you?

Think about how hard that would be.

Well, at the end of 1st Samuel, Chapter 1, we see a situation that is sort of like that. The only difference is that Hannah, who had prayed from her heart and poured her soul out to the Lord asking for a son, was now faced with keeping her end of the bargain after God allowed her to conceive and give birth to a son who she named Samuel. You’ll remember that she had promised to give her son to the Lord for “all the days of his life” (1Samuel 1:11).

So as Elkanah “went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow”, we read where “Hannah did not go” saying to her husband:

“After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

To which, Elkanah replied:

“Do what seems best to you…Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good His word."

And so Hannah did wean Samuel until the time came for her to dedicate him to the Lord as she promised. This weaning period was set in the culture at three years.

After this time had passed…the time “after he was weaned”…Hannah “took the boy with her…along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine” bringing all “to the house of the Lord at Shiloh”. There, the bull was sacrificed before Hannah went to Eli the priest and presented Samuel to him, saying:

“As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."

And with that, we read where “he worshiped the Lord there”.

In Hannah, we see an incredible display of courage, obedience, and sacrifice. For after having spent three close years with Samuel, she now fulfilled her promise and gave him to the Lord “for his whole life” with Eli serving as his guardian. All she had invested in mothering was now in the hands of someone else and I can’t imagine the void this must have left in her life but knowing this, she still remained true to her word.

You know, Hannah’s actions reminded me of another similar situation that would happen later in the Bible…where another only Son was willingly surrendered. Indeed, this Son named Jesus was given up by His Father God to die for us all…a sacrificial, unblemished Lamb who was slain to bear the sins of all mankind.

In the end translation, God sent Jesus to die so we might live…He gave it all up for us and so shouldn’t we be willing to give it all up for Him?

To do any less would be falling short of the mark and certainly not meeting what He expects.

Friends, in Hannah we find qualities of sacrifice and loyalty in a woman who was dedicated and faithful to her God. My prayer is that we all exercise the same level of deep obedience when He calls on us…giving fully to God whatever He asks for, understanding that He is the source of every good and perfect gift we receive (James 1:17).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.