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Will You Serve Him?- In His Word 6-22-2026
Lately I have been finding so many things in the Word of God
while reading my daily reads that stand out to me as something I did not recall
reading or forgot that I had read that really. I mentioned it before in other
posts but today I have a suggestion that may help you too!
Lately as I read it is more attentive reading, as in to
learn a specific thing, or person's information with purpose. In the past when
I read it was for a purpose too like when I was working n “A Walk in the
Word" Bible study I focused on the little known people or things. That
was years ago and now as I read on from where I stopped that study, in 1Samuel
I am finding things I did not think on before once again!
It all started when I was watching the Series the ‘House of
David’. As we saw Samuel anointing David and beyond I began wondering about
Samuel and his personality. Now some may remember that Samuel lived in the
Temple in God's service all the days of his life after being weaned from
nursing. He grew hearing God's voice and was called at an early age. Though not
as early as I thought because I actually got his and my son's ages mixed up.
Mostly because I had studied about Samuel as a boy when God called him and he
went to Eli the Man of God three times
and asked if he had called him. God had called him as you will read below but
as you will see Eli realized this and told him to say “Here I am Lord, I am
listening" or something like that. My son was 3, I know because I recorded
it in his baby book, When he asked me if I had called him one night. I hadn't
as his dad and I were fast asleep when he woke me. So I told him the story briefly
and told him to say ‘ here I am…’, and he went back to sleep in his room, as far
as I know that is because I fell back to sleep.
Anyway, back to Samuel. He was really old by the time he
anointed Saul as the first king, and then even older with David. He was
constantly hearing from God and speaking to and for Him.
In the show we watched I questioned some of the characters
and thus I pulled out my Bible and read from he beginning of Samuel and am
still continuing through it.
Moment by moment I find something about God, or the men in
the chapters that stand out as “Wow! I didn't realize that!” moments.
Stop for a moment and read the first couple chapters. I will
highlight some places below but read the whole chapters.
1 Samuel 1:1-8 tells of the situation Hannah was in to start
with. Yet her heart was in the right place, or God would not have answered her
prayer.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Psalm 66:18
As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound,
he thought she had been drinking.
“Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh
no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or
anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to
the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked
woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
“In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of
Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
1 Samuel 1:14-18
Hannah wanted her own son so much and hr husband Elkanah
gave her double blessings because she was
baren. Still her heart cried out to God for a son and when Eli asked She
told him that she would give up her son to God if He would give him to her. Think
on that for a moment, and she longed so for a child that she promised God to
give him back to Him to serve Did you think about that? How unselfish this
woman was. She stood up after the people finished eating and drinking in
Shiloh. She was in such bitter distress in verse 15 that she wept with many
tears and made her vow. She was an amazing woman. She ends up visiting him once
a year to give him new clothes and really did let him serve God wholly all the
days of his life!
She follows through in the following verses. She was not
just making promises she did to plan to keep!
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to
worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah
slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth
to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I
asked the Lord for him.” The
next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice
to the Lord and to keep his vow. But
Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait
until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him
there with the Lord permanently.”
“Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may
the Lord help you keep your promise.”
So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned. When the child was
weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a
three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. After sacrificing the bull, they brought the
boy to Eli. “Sir, do you remember me?”
Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who
stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he
has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to
the Lord his whole life.”
And they worshiped the Lord there.1 Samuel 1:19-28
We know that Hannah was a woman of her word by this. God
goes on to bless her more because of this, but its not why she did it. She was
a proud mama, who brought her son clothes each time he grew and visited him,
knowing God would use him someday. What is the focus for today?
Trust the Lord, and accept what road you have to walk
when you pray. It is not always how you think
it will be, but God honors our truthful heartfelt prayer.
I learned this from the beginning of the book! Let’s keep
reading and see all that happens when we honor and obey God, as apposed to trying
to do things our own way as Saul does! Then he will try to lie his way out of
it? Ah but that is a spoiler alert isn’t
it!
Be blessed today as you put your focus on your prayers to
the Lord with a sincere heart… in Jesus’ name.