What are you willing to give up? 1 Samuel 1:19-28

Introduction

Last week we looked at Hannah’s heartache and her first prayer, who in desperation and full surrender went to the tabernacle and wept bitterly to the Lord and prayed for a son. If the Lord gave her a son, she promised to give him back to the Lord.

Hannah waited many years for a son, all to give him back. This morning we will see 2 themes in the life of Hannah, God’s faithfulness in answering our prayer, and Hannah's faithfulness in fulfilling her promise

God’s faithfulness in Answering prayer vs.19-23

In verse 19 we are coming to the end of their time in Shiloh and getting ready to head back to their home, but before they left they worshiped

Noticed once Hannah prayed and poured out her heart before God, its almost as though she was relieved, and she returned to worship. Remember in verse 7 we find her weeping and in verse 9-11 we find her pouring her heart out to the Lord, but here in verse 19 we find her worshipping.

Have you ever felt that way, where you feel very much burdened by a heavy heart or a heavy request and you bring it to God and give it to Him

The Psalmist wrote it this way in Psalm 55:22 “22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 11:28–29 “28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

1 Peter 5:7 “7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

We have a God in heaven who asks us to bring our burdens to him and he takes them willingly and oh what a relief when he does.

Verse 19 ends with the Lord remembering Hannah

In verse 11 she asks the Lord to remember her and he does.

It is important to note that God doesn’t forget about us, rather he knows all our needs. When the Bible says that "the Lord remembered Hannah" (1 Samuel 1:19 KJV), it does not imply that God had forgotten her, as we often think of "remembering" in human terms. Instead, this phrase is a deeply significant expression that points to God's active engagement and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises and purposes.

In verse 20 we see the Lord answer Hannahs prayer.

Hannah had a son and named him Samuel

The name Samuel means asked of God

Here we learn that we should never give up praying even if the situation seems impossible, God answers our prayers in His time and in His way. He is never early and certainly never late.

We have no idea how long Hannah prayed for a son, but the Lord heard her prayer and answered it in His perfect time

What are you praying for today that God hasn’t answered yet, what ever it is take courage and keep praying because God hears your prayer and he will answer it in His time.

In verses 21-23 we find ourselves around a year after the first part of this story.

Elkanah is headed back to Shiloh to bring his yearly sacrifice and his vow, but Hannah stayed backed as she had a young baby.

She told her husband that that she wouldn’t go up until the baby was weaned so she could give Samuel to the Lord so he could abide their forever.

For around three years Hannah nursed the Baby and when he was weaned they went to the Temple.

Hannahs faithfulness in fulfilling her promise to the Lord vs. 24-28

When the time came three years after Samuel was born, they took him to the temple with three bullocks, one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine.

I can imagine the pain that Hannah must have felt as she brought her only son to the temple to give him to the Lord. Three years of raising Samuel, seeing his first smile, hearing his first laugh, seeing his first steps and now she would turn him over to the Lord to fulfil the vow she had made to the Lord. This took faith!

The faith life sometimes hurts, but God doesn’t waste the pain and we will see in chapter 2 that she isn’t bitter, but rather rejoiced.

It reminds me of Abraham and Isaac as the Lord asked Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac, whom he waited 100 years for. The pain and sorrow he must have felt as he walked up mount Moriah knowing the Lord was asking him to sacrifice his son, but he still had the faith to go up that mountain knowing that even if he killed his son that God would raise him from the dead.

God sometimes makes us give things up that hurt to give up, but like Abraham learned God didn’t want Isaac, he wanted him. Here God didn’t want Samuel, but wanted Hannah and she willingly brought her son to God and gave him back.

The sacrificed the bullock and brought the child to Eli

She reminds Eli who she is

Remember the last time Eli saw her he thought she was drunk because of how intensely she was praying. Then she explained to Eli what she was doing and he told her to go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petitions that she asked of him.

Here Hannah brought proof that God answered her prayer

In verses 27-28 we see Hannah fulfil the promise she made to the Lord.

We see that she prayed and God answered what she asked of Him.

God always answers our prayers in one of three ways: Yes, No and not right now, and for so long God answered her prayer not right now, but here he answers her with a yes.

She then she reminds us an all important lesson that all children are borrowed from the Lord.

That phrase lent him to the Lord means that she returned what she borrowed from the Lord.

One commentary said it this way “Any parents who are living in covenant with the Lord should find themselves following Hannah in general principle even if not in precise practice. We should solemnly and passionately desire that each child be “lent to the Lord.” His gifts should be given back to him.”

We should raise our children for the Lord and pray that our children follow the Lord all the days of their lives.

Ephesians 6:4 “4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Proverbs 22:6 “6 Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Here we see Hannah make a vow to the Lord and keep it, this teaches us that if we tell the Lord we are going to do something we must do it.

Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 “4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

If you promise God something, do it

Conclusion

This morning we saw that God is faithful in the answering of our prayers, we can pray and he will hear and answer our prayer as he did for Hannah. We can have faith to know this is true. Are you praying expecting an answer or are you praying amiss?

Maybe you’ve made a promise to the Lord and you’re contemplating keeping it or not, you should keep it. Its better to not vow a vow than to break a vow you’ve made.

Maybe this morning you’re here and you have never placed your faith in Christ. You not only can trust him with your requests, but you can trust Him with your eternity. Some 2000 years ago God sent his Son to die on a cross, be buried and rise from the dead to pay for the sins of the whole world. This is the Gospel and it is the only way to heaven. If you’ve never trusted Christ as your saviour come this morning and we can show you from God’s word how you can be saved.