Grace-full

I taught a Bible study this morning on Hannah: A Portrait of Feminine Grace. It was out of a book I highly recommend called Twelve Extraordinary Women of the Bible. Very good! Anyway, I led a study on Hannah and I'd like to share one of the keys to her grace-full example.

Hannah was barren, much like Sarah. And, just like Sarah, Hannah pleaded with God to give her a child- specifically a boy. Fast forward about 9 months and Hannah gives birth to Samuel. Now, when Hannah beseeched the Lord for a son she promised to give him back to God, to devote him to a life of service in the tabernacle. Once Samuel was weaned, about 3-4 years old, Hannah took him to the tabernacle, dedicated him to the Lord with an offering and then she turned around and walked away, leaving her little boy to be raised by the priest. Yes, I said she left her son! How could she do that!? Well, she had promised God that he could have the boy back if he allowed her to conceive him. And she followed through with that promise, as hard as it must have been. But here's the really unbelievable thing...

In 1 Samuel 1 we read "Hannah said...'I prayed for this child, and God gave me what I asked for. And now I have dedicated him to God. He's dedicated to God for life.' Then and there, they worshiped God."

Did I read that right? Right then and there, they worshiped God? And the prayer and praise that follows is amazing. This woman was leaving her small child, the only one she had, the one she waited so long to have, and the first thing she does is praise the Lord. Here's her words from the Message Bible
I'm laughing at my rivals,
I'm dancing my salvation.
nothing and no one is holy like God,
No rock mountain like our God.

Take a minute to look it up in your Bible and read the whole story (1 Samuel 1:1-2:10). And then join me in praying that we can have the grace of Hannah as God asks us to give back the blessings (time, money, gifts and talents, etc) he has entrusted to us.