"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there."¹

Being a mom is the greatest privilege and an answered prayer for many of us. I am a mom of four children (our youngest is a newborn), and although there are some days where I am completely exhausted, I feel so blessed. In addition to our four healthy children, we also suffered two losses along the way. One of these losses was a little boy we named Elijah. He died in utero at five months into the pregnancy due to a chromosomal defect. Therefore, I know the joy of celebrating the life of our children, but have also experienced the sadness and pain of losing a child.

This experience led me to think of the prophet Samuel's mom, Hannah. She had wanted a baby for so long! She would go to the temple to pray and desperately ask God to give her a child. We read: "In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.  And she made a vow, saying, "Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life..."² This couldn't have been an easy vow to make considering how much she longed for this son. However, Hannah kept her vow and took Samuel back to the temple to dedicate his life to serving the Lord.

As parents, we do our best to raise our children in God's ways and pray that they will remember this once they are grown. I would love to be able to be with my kids all the time and take care of them, but the truth is, only God can do that. When we choose to dedicate our children to the Lord daily through prayer, we can be at peace knowing that God is in control and will be with them every step of the way.

Moms, you are amazing! You are loved, appreciated, and we celebrate you. God has chosen you to carry out such an important task in raising your children. Whether your children are young or old, I encourage you to keep praying for them and dedicating them to God daily. Your work is not in vain. May God bless you and keep you today and always.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, please bless our moms. Give us strength, courage, energy, and guidance to raise the children you have given us. Like Hannah, may we dedicate them to you on a daily basis, knowing that you have a perfect plan for their lives and you have chosen us to partake in it. Allow us to cherish the moments, give us wisdom to guide our children, and may they learn to love you and others through our example. In Jesus' name. Amen.

1. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 (NIV).

2. 1 Samuel 1:10-11 (NIV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.