Sæktu forritiðGod Remembered… (Insert Your Name Here)!Sýnishorn
Modeling Integrity
Key Verses: 1 Samuel 1:27-28
Hannah’s story doesn’t end with her son Samuel’s birth. After her son was born, Hannah honored her vow to give him back to God. While we can look at Hannah’s story and see the transformation of her brokenness turn into wholeness, know that Hannah’s gratitude didn’t end with Samuel’s birth but continued even through her separation from her beloved son.
At the time of the next yearly sacrifice (vs 21), Samuel would have only been a few months old. Can you imagine how hard this must have been for Hannah? Her prayers were answered and she was able to give birth to a wonderful, baby boy but in the back of her mind she knew that her time with him was limited. How have you reacted in similar situations? Have you ever said ‘Lord if you do this, I’ll do that’ but when God fulfilled His end of the covenant you struggled to want to fulfill your part?
What Hannah teaches us is that God desires us to act with integrity in every situation. Integrity can be defined as the quality or state of being complete or undivided (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Hannah was sure in her love for Samuel but more importantly, she was complete and undivided in her love for God. In your prayer time with God, be sure to make your petitions known to Him with the conviction that whatever His answer is, you will honor Him first. The blessing of motherhood is that it allows us to show our children the love that our heavenly Father always shows us.
Hannah honors her commitment with a joyful heart. Hannah recognizes that wonderful gift that God had given her and treasures the opportunity to be able to lend and/or give her gift back to God. She thanks Him for blessing her with his life and at the end of her testimony, we see Samuel, the child, worship the Lord as well. What an amazing thing to note! Children truly do imitate what they see. Because Samuel witnessed his mother worshipping God, he was able to do the same thing, even at such a young age.
What actions will your future children imitate? Will they see you worship God even when times are hard? Will they see you honoring God in your everyday actions so that they too grow up as people of integrity? God has given you this time during your TTC journey to draw closer to Him so that when your petition is fulfilled, He’ll be able to get the true honor and glory that He deserves.
Be blessed and fruitful!
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