What Do We Do With The Answers?

“For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” (1Sa 1:27-28 AV)

Hannah was tormented by an adversary, most likely her co-wife to Elkanah, regarding her inability to bear children.  She was so distraught that she would not eat or drink.  When she went to the Tabernacle, she did nothing but pray for a child.  It was so extreme, that Eli the priest thought Hannah was drunk when in reality, she was deep in prayer.  When Eli saw the anguish of her soul, by the word of the LORD, he promised Hannah a child.  Thus Samuel was born.  What Hannah did next was the essence of her character and is the reason why God blessed her with children.  For three years after his birth, Samuel and his mother stayed home from the yearly trek to the Tabernacle.  Hannah would tell Elkanah she was weaning Samuel because when she was done weaning him, she would leave him at the Tabernacle for the service of the LORD.  This, in the context of the high priest, Eli, not being a successful parent to his own two sons, Hannah’s sacrifice was even more remarkable and showed a great depth of faith.  What spoke to me was a challenge.  What do I do with the answered prayer God sends my way?  Do I trust Him with what I desperately asked for?  Do I dedicate the answer to Him for Him to use as He sees fit?

Many years ago, I had a good friend who was suffering from terminal cancer.  It disease progressed pretty much the same as anyone diagnosed with this type of cancer.  During his treatments, he had heard of a revolutionary treatment that might have gained him more time, or at the very best, cured him of this horrible scourge.  This treatment was very costly and his insurance would not cover the cost.  So, he went about raising funds for this treatment.  One of the things he said to me was that if the LORD were to give him more time, but the disease was still present, he would surrender to preach in the most dangerous countries in the world.  He would travel to a nation in which he knew he would very likely be martyred.  That really spoke to me not because he said it, but because I knew him well enough to know that is exactly what he would do.  He didn’t get his wish.  The treatment never worked. But, this hero of the faith was in the pulpit until the last possible moment.  As long as he could sit in a chair and speak, he preached.  He did more with the time he had left than most people who were in perfect health.  God answered his prayer in the sense he gave him strength to serve.  And he used this answer for God’s glory rather than his own pleasure.

We seek God’s hand in many things.  We may seek the LORD’s hand for health reasons.  We may seek Him for financial reasons.  We may ask the LORD to move heaven and earth to bring a lost loved one to Christ, help with an erring child, or do something as simple as finding an item in a grocery store.  The question remains.  What do we do with the answers God gives?  How do we use His grace for His glory and for the blessings of others?  Hannah gave her son to the service of the LORD.  Samuel glorified the LORD with his life and also led the people of God.  He oversaw a very hard time in the history of Israel.  Samuel was the last judge of Israel and he stood against the error of God’s people. He forced the nation and their king to be accountable to the LORD.  Hannah, because God was good to her, refused to consume parenthood for her own pleasure.  Sure, the arrival of Samuel and his five siblings ended the shame and reproach Hannah felt because she was childless.  There were benefits from answered prayer she would naturally enjoy.  However, she did not hoard the blessings she could have had if she kept Samuel for herself.  How we treat the answers God gives says volumes regarding our character.  How much we express our gratitude by giving back to God what He has given so freely shows just where our hearts are.