For the past two mornings I have found myself reading in 1 Samuel Chapters 1-7 and God is really teaching me about qualities of endurance and faithfulness. So the fact is that a young boy named Samuel was dedicated to God as a baby by his mother Hannah, who was previously barren until she prayed to God in earnest at the Lord’s temple in Shiloh. God heard her prayers of anguish and according to scripture, the very next day God blessed her and her husband Elkanah and they became pregnant with their son Samuel. The very next day. So to me this initially read; Step 1: Be in anguish about something you really need God to provide. Step 2: Pray really hard and honestly to God. Step 3: God honors your prayer and gives you insta-answer results the next morning.
Ha.
Apparently insta-answers from God don’t really work like that because His desire is not for us to have a “microwave faith” of self-satisfaction and God exploitation. Anyway, I continued to read and God really shook me up. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, waited for years for God to provide her with a child and all the while she was “provoked by her rival.” I don’t know about you, but just Hannah’s patience and endurance is incredible to me. To watch other women around you raise children and be unable to provide a family for yourself sounds devastating and her unending faith in God is trademark characteristic that I am striving to adapt to my own life. Then, when Hannah actually had Samuel she raised him only until the time he was weaned and then offered him to God as a student of Eli, the priest of God in Shiloh.
What I understood from this scripture is that Samuel was Hannah’s joy, but not her only joy. She took the gift that God gave her and with a grateful heart she gave the gift back to Him so that God could use Samuel in the way he saw fit. And boy, did God honor that and use him. God used Samuel all his life to lead the Isrealites back into a relationship with Him. Samuel was given to the Lord as a baby and today, while babies are still dedicated to Christ, people largely make the decision to follow Christ for themselves in adulthood. So the questions stands: How do we give ourselves to Christ now in the same holy way that Hannah and Samuel devoted their lives to God? I’m trying to give myself to God by devoting myself to the reading of scripture. I want to know the history of God’s people and His promises thoroughly so that I can apply the teachings to my own life. I want God to shape and mold me until my dependency upon Him is continous (like Hannah’s), my patience is consistent, and my knowledge and boldness for the gospel is the catalyst of all my conversations.
Practically, a lot of these desires for growth in my faith play out in my trust of God to provide the relationships and finances I need for the World Race and for college. Over this past month I have raised $174 at a local coffee shop by selling bracelets made by an organization known as Threads of Hope. Half of this money is sent to the Philippines to support the families that made these beautiful bracelets and half of the money goes to my mission fund.
Other donations have come in from very generous people and by the end of the month, when the checks are processed through the system, my funds for the World Race will be about $622. My point is that God is moving people’s hearts and I am so excited to see how God will continue to bless this mission and the people who donate to the cause. While this is very encouraging, I need more partners in this process. I’m inviting you to come beside me in financial and spiritual support to grow the Kingdom of God. My desire is to partner with you so that we can both continue to pray and support my team together as we enter countries and communities in desperate need of God’s love. Be apart of our team as the hands and feet of Christ. If you have any questions regarding the giving process or would like to contact me, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your continous support and prayers, God is truly moving through them!
