✤DAY 5✤
"Faith to Give"
I Samuel 1:11
And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only
look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not
forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to
the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be
used on his head.”
II Corinthians 8:2-4
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and
their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify
that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond
their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with
us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s
people.
A family drama is unfolding. One that has been in the making
for quite some time. Years in fact. Hannah is childless and this
reality is weighing on her mightily. Her husband, Elkanah, loves
her very much, senses her pain, but really doesn’t connect with
her deepest emotions in this matter. To add insult to injury,
another member of the family takes every opportunity to heap
ridicule and shame on Hannah for being childless. Hannah
frequently finds herself in tears and without appetite due to the
anxiety she feels.
On this annual trip to the temple in Shiloh, Hannah has almost
reached the breaking point. In the midst of her deep pain Hannah
weeps and prays before the Lord. It is a remarkable prayer in
which she makes an offer: “Lord, do not forget me....give me a
son....and I'll give him back to you for the rest of his life.”
Eli the priest is standing nearby observing Hannah. And though
there is no indication that Eli knew what she had prayed, he
blesses her and tells her that her request will be granted. Hannah
returns home and in the course of time finds she is pregnant,
delivers a male child, and names him Samuel.In essence,
Hannah made a Faith Promise in that she committed
to give a gift. A gift she did not have. A gift that she was totally
dependent upon God for receiving. If she is to ever give the gift
it will be up to God to provide it based on His promise spoken
through His servant Eli.
Now here’s the rub. It is one thing to offer a baby that doesn’t
exist, but it is quite another for a mother to give up that child
once she is holding it in her arms. You may be thinking that
Hannah is going to renege on her agreement. That when it gets
down to crunch time she won’t be able to bring herself to give
Samuel up. After all, commitments made under stress or when
emotions are running high don’t really count, do they?
There are a myriad of reasons we can give and ways to
rationalize why we shouldn’t follow through on what we said we
would do. That’s why the faith in Faith Promise is faith to give.
As God is faithful to follow through on His promise, we should
stand ready to follow through in faith by giving when He
provides.
Contemplation
Is my faith such that I look for and recognize God’s provision
and then be willing to pass that provision on?
Prayer
Father, Grant me eyes of faith so that I may recognize your
provision and then give me a heart of faith that I would follow
through with my giving. In doing so, may I have the same
overflowing joy and rich generosity spoken of the Macedonian
believers that I might share in the service to your people.
Amen
Produced by: The Mission Society
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