My path to motherhood was not an easy one. I spent 4 years on that journey. And while I had infertility issues, it was my faith that was truly tested. The grief was heavy and dark. For two years, I didn’t want to look to see where God was in my life. Thankfully, God led me to an amazing community that helped me see that His light was always there. And then I spent another two years learning the lesson that He had for me. One that I saw written out in 1 Samuel: surrender.
In 1 Samuel we are introduced to a woman who is going through a hard journey. She is heartbroken and grieving. Hannah’s story immediately spoke to my heart and continues to do so. How could it not when you look at the way that she surrenders her grief to the One more capable of holding that burden? “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.” 1 Samuel 1:10. Wept bitterly. How many times have you wept bitterly? Was it in prayer to the Lord? Praying that prayer can be hard. At times, it can feel wrong to pour out all those feelings to God. It is far easier to shove them down and hide them. But our hearts can’t hide from God. Instead, open yourself up to His light. There is no one better to surrender those feelings to than Jesus.
She also teaches us how to pour our hearts out to God. “But Hannah answered, 'No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:15. The Bible shares with us the vow that Hannah spoke as she poured out her soul. My words were simple: Oh Lord, hear my cry. If you sat down right now and unburdened your heart before the Lord, what would that look like for you? I can guarantee no one cares more for your heart than our loving God. When it all feels too heavy, lay it at His feet.
And as if all these things weren’t enough of a lesson, Hannah then surrenders her son, Samuel. The very thing she begged God for, she surrendered. “For this is the child I prayed, and the Lord granted me my petition that I made to Him. Therefore, I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28. She followed through with her vow. She knew that this was the way to honor God’s faithfulness. As hard as it may have been not to have her son with her every day, she gave him to the Lord because He heard her cries and granted her the desire of her heart. When was the last time that you surrendered all you hold dear to the Lord? In truth, it’s all His. He gives these things to us to shepherd but they always belong to Him, just as Samuel was His from the beginning. And as we will see in the coming weeks, He uses Samuel for big things.
Sisters, our journeys are wrought with opportunity for surrender. Opportunities to pour out our souls to the Lord as Hannah did. It is such a gift. We can’t carry it all even though we try. Instead, we have the choice to trust that our God can. He gives us examples, such as Hannah, as a road map for how to be in relationship with Him even in the hardest of moments. And His goodness, mercy, and grace will be there regardless of our outcomes. Sometimes, He grants our petitions as He did for Hannah. And sometimes, He has different plans for us. But the lesson remains that surrender is a step on the path to God’s freedom.
Surrender your burdens.
Surrender the cries of your heart.
Surrender all to God.
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