Daily devotion – God’s children
1Sa 1:20
Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
The story of young Samuel is one of my favourites in the Bible. It all started with his mother Hannah, a godly woman, but also a woman unable to bear children. Hannah went to the Temple to pray with all her heart seeking God for a child. There she promised that if God would answer her prayer, she would dedicate back to God this blessed gift of a child.
Most of us know the story well enough, God answered her prayer and she bore a son and named him Samuel – (meaning, the name is El or the name is God)
Hannah kept her promise and when little Samuel was about 3 years of age, she took little Samuel to the Temple there to be raised by the priest Eli with Hannah visiting often and bringing him new clothes and other things as he grew.
1Sa 2:26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
Here is where the story gets even more wonderful. Samuel is asleep in his room at the Temple, he is around 12 years of age by now and God spoke to him. Not just once but four times. We have at times in the Australian Christian culture, the concept that kids and ministry, or their very real relationship with God, is only to taken seriously when they are older teens or youth age.
Thus, children by the time they have attained such an age under this type of upbringing, by then have no interest in serving the Lord and have instead established a root system and lifestyle philosophy that fits in with a fallen world.
Young Samuel is a beautiful example and model for Christian parents to follow in understanding that there is no age barrier to being a man or woman of God, or in this case, a young boy serving God.
But there is one another example in this beautiful story of Hannah and Samuel. That is, we as parents, should heed Hannah’s example of placing our children in God’s hands and care for Him to raise. We can do this without them leaving home by having the godly attitude that our children are the Lord’s in the first place. Our part is to train them up in the way they should go – feeding them the Word of God, praying before them, for them and with them.
Who knows, maybe in your home is a little boy or girl just like Samuel or Hannah.