After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
1 Samuel 1:9-11
Lord I confess that there are many things that are on my heart that I would love for You to bless me with. When I imagine my life with them I see my life as so much better if You were to answer my requests, whether it is for resources, people, or opportunities – the list goes on. I have a mindset that I would be more whole or more complete if You grant them to me. Yet, I must confess that in many instances after receiving the blessing I am not willing to give it away. When You fulfill the requests of my heart, I relegate them to the “blessing bucket”, designating them as “overflow” and “favor”, rarely seeing them as seeds to be planted in the lives of others for the advancement of the Kingdom. Yes, I give faithfully of my time, talent and treasures. Yet as I meditate on Hannah, my heart wonders whether my giving is the result of a sense of duty or an outpouring of gratitude. My prayer today is that You would show me how I can use what You have blessed me with to bless somebody else. Remind me that there is nothing that You have bestowed upon me that You have intended for me to enjoy in isolation, but instead intend for them to be used for the building up of the body and the expansion of Your glory. Pour into me that I might pour into others, giving You all that I have all the days of my life. Amen.