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Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International. |
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Choosing God Above All Else
“Then Hannah prayed: ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord! The
Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because
you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.”1 It has been said that people like receiving gifts, but do
NOT like take aways. If we were given something we had been wanting for a long
time, but then we had to give it back, I am sure that the majority of us would
complain! However, Hannah’s story is all the contrary, which is why it is so
inspiring to me. Hannah had been unable to have children; something she had
so desperately wanted. She had endured insults and had been disrespected by her
husband’s other wife, who had multiple children. Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, loved
her dearly despite her infertility, but Hannah still longed for children more
than anything. Therefore, Hannah prayed to God for a son, but also promised
that if He answered her prayer, she would give this son back to God. As a
mother myself, I could not imagine making this promise. Falling in love with
your children is inevitable once you hold them in your arms, and you look forward
to watching them grow. While I am sure it was difficult for Hannah, she kept her
promise and took Samuel to the temple where he stayed to serve the Lord. What
is even more inspiring is that Hannah did not regret nor resent this, but
instead we see her response of gratitude to the Lord. She chose to worship the
Giver of this blessing, instead of focusing solely on the gift. Because of this,
Samuel was used in great ways by the Lord. What joy it brings when our
obedience and gratitude lead to much greater things that God has in store! Suggested prayer: Dear God, you have given me more blessings
than I can number. Gifts that I have asked for, and others that I have received
simply because you saw fit. Help me never forget that every good and perfect
gift comes from you, and that you are always worthy of my thankful praise.
Whether that gift is here to stay, or simply to enjoy for a moment, I am
thankful for it all. Allow me to always obey your will, and trust that
everything you give or take away in my life will be used for something greater.
Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen. 1
Samuel 2:1-2 (NLT). Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B. |
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