Wondered by the Word — The Bible in a YearSample

Full Surrender

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah is in a posture of worship—she is praying and rejoicing in the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:28 ends with Hannah giving her young son, her only son, to the Lord, leaving him at the tabernacle where he would never live with her again. This posture that we see her in as she begins praying is firmly planted in trusting the Lord. The faith in Him that was needed to surrender her son to the Lord was unwavering. 

The depth of love that she had for the Lord was one that propels us forward in our walk with the Lord. As she was making the biggest sacrifice in her life the day she gave her son to Him, she rejoiced in the Lord-- not in giving her son to Him, but in the Lord. We see the word horn in the first part of the verse; it means strength here. Hannahs strength came from the Lord—He was her strength. 

When my son was born at 23 weeks, one of the first of many crying out to the Lord prayers was when I had to rejoice in the Lord alone. Through the pain, the fear, and the unknowns was trusting in Him, which meant that I could rejoice in Him...not what we were walking through. 

I experienced this many times, particularly in the NICU. I vividly remember when I literally had to just fall to my knees and just sink to Him. God reminded me that the times when I felt weak were opportunities to cling to Him, seek Him, and hear Him. I heard God over the constant ringing alarms in the hospital day after day for five months, over the chest compressions on my son many times, in the hospice room, and on the walk out of hospice as Mason was moved to a room of life.

He is with us—we see no what-ifs, no but this, no only if—He is there. We need the questionable, the fearful times, the uneasy choices and leaps for us to see what He already has done in our lives and where He is working to shift our perspective to Him alone so that we can see Him more clearly. We begin not only to see but also walk through the truth that we exist for Him to invade our entire beings and our lives. He could easily give the perfect solution, the words or situation that is viewed as Him “saving” or rescuing— that which delivers us. A way to be drawn out. Yes, He is that mighty that He can, and in many circumstances, He does just that. 

So my question for you is this: what do you need to surrender to Him today, and will you have the faith of Hannah to give it all to Him? Is He fully occupying your whole self—are you allowing Him to do so? 

(Written by Jennifer Edewaard)