Let God establish His way

Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.” So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. – 1 Samuel 1.21-23


I wonder what happened in Hannah’s heart around this verse. When she prayed she told God that if He gave her a son she would give him back to the Lord. I am sure that sounded great at the time, and even when Samuel was born.

But now he was getting a little older. When it came time to go up for the yearly sacrifice she didn’t want to go.

Of course, we cannot guess her heart. But is there a chance that she was not ready to let Samuel go?

Her husband was brilliant – ‘Okay, do what you think is best. Keep him until he is completely weaned – but make sure that this is God’s will.’

That is the kind of godly advice we all need. God gives us a free will. He gives is great liberty. He gives us the freedom to make choices. He does not rule with an iron first.

But we are wise to make sure the choices we make are God’s plan and God’s way and that we are not led by our own wishes.