Lent to the Lord
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 10 – 12; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read a previous post from this passage – “Eli Didn’t Correct His Children“
Read the “0329 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” – (1 Samuel 1:27-28)
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” – (Psalm 127:3)
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” – (Ephesians 6:4)
One of the greatest blessings and privileges in life for a married couple is to be given the opportunity to raise children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” In our reading today we see Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, who desired more than anything to be given the privilege of giving birth to children. She begged God to open up her womb and she promised God that she would give the child back to the Lord. In other words, she understood that the child would not really belong to her, he would belong to the Lord. God granted her request and she was faithful to her word, and literally gave the child when he was old enough to be trained by the priest in the service of the Lord.
God has blessed my wife and I with four wonderful children, three of which are married with children of their own. One of our married children is still living and serving the Lord in our church, which is a wonderful blessing. However, two of our married children live many miles away, and though we speak with them almost daily, and even see them often, we miss them terribly. One of the most difficult things that we can do as parents is to let go of our children when they are grown. We want to keep them around us forever. However, oftentimes God may have a special plan for our children that will lead them to be apart from us geographically. As hard as that may be, we must recognize that God gave us these children for a specific purpose and a limited time. We were never owners, only stewards. They belong to the Lord. If God chooses to use them as missionaries on a foreign field, or perhaps move them to the other side of the country, that is His right; and we must not only accept His will, but support it as well.
If God has blessed you and your spouse with children, please remember that those precious ones are really only “lent” to you for a short time. You have been given the awesome responsibility of teaching a child how to love and serve God. Don’t waste time; it is very precious. You will blink your eyes twice and they will be grown and then they will move on to serve God, and raise a families of their own.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
i totally agree that god can use us anywhere especially missionary working with children teaching them the gospel of the lord. and how god can handle a situation. it is our given right to decide where we are needed. we need to thank the lord and giving us his time and being sent to that special place in mind.
Amen Pastor. “Each day of our lives , we make deposits in the memory banks of our children” – Charles R. Swindol
There are impressions that we have to make as parents and grandparents on our children and these impressions are.
1.The love of Christ, in us
2.Reading our Bibles
3.Going to Church on Sunday
4.Praying
5. And doing the work of Christ.
6. And that they will always have an open door of refuge that they can come to, no matter what life may bring them.
Like the post.