Readings for today: 1 Samuel 1-3, Psalms 78
This past Sunday we sang the song, “I Surrender All” in worship. It’s a simply yet powerful tune with a deeply, challenging message. Do I surrender all? Am I willing to surrender all? What would “surrendering all” actually look like in my life? I think of all the things I hold dear. Personally, I think of my time and money. Relationally, I think of my wife and children and family and friendships. Vocationally, I think of my work as a pastor, my teaching as a professor, and my mission work. Am I willing to surrender all in any of these categories? Am I willing to give God all my time or do I want to withhold some for myself? Am I willing to give God all my money or do I want to make sure I reserve enough to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle? Am I willing to give God my wife and children, trusting He loves them far more than I do, and set them free to serve Him in whatever way He calls or do I seek to control them or shame them or bend them to what I want for their lives? What about my family and friendships? Do I surrender them to God by seeking to serve rather than be served? What about my vocation? Am I willing to give it up or do I hold on too tight? All these things are worth pondering as we read through the chapters assigned for today.
Hannah is an amazing example of faith. She truly “surrenders all” when she offers Samuel to God. Barrenness was considered one of the worst experiences a woman could experience in ancient times. One of the primary ways women added value to society was through child-bearing, especially the bearing of sons. Though Hannah’s husband loved and provided for her abundantly, she was heartbroken over her inability to provide him a child. She could have responded in all sorts of ways to her condition but because of her deep faith, she turned to the Lord. She prayed so fervently that the high priest thought she was drunk. When God answered her prayer, she was faced with another decision. Would she follow through? Would she surrender her firstborn son with no guarantees she would have any more children? Imagine the faith it took to take such a step? Imagine the sadness she must have felt when she weaned Samuel and gave him to Eli? Imagine her having to walk away from the Tabernacle and go back home to an empty tent yet again? This is an example of what it truly means to surrender all.
What about you? What does surrender look like in your life? Where are you on the journey of surrendering all to God? I have been walking with the Lord for over thirty years now and I find God demanding more and more of my life not less. I find Him demanding more of my time, more of my money, more of my attention, more of my heart. And, if I am honest, I sometimes struggle to give him what He demands. But every time I do, I find myself experiencing all kinds of blessing. In fact, I find myself receiving back from God more than what I give and it only reinforces what Hannah and so many saints have learned throughout history. You simply cannot out-give God. You cannot out-give the One who surrendered all for us in Jesus Christ.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 4-8, Psalms 79