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By Roger Wall Guest Columnist
Hannah was a special kind of woman. She was a godly, consecrated woman who was totally given to the Lord. She and her husband Elkannah had been childless for many years. So much did she want a child that she promised God that if He would bless them with a son she would dedicate him to the service of the Lord. And so God did give her a son. She named him Samuel and he became one of the great high priests of Israel, serving in a very critical time in the nation’s history.
Now, in keeping her vow to God, Hannah took him to live in the house of God, to be a servant to Eli, the high priest then serving. He was not living in her home during those years, but it seems to me that there had already been groundwork teaching to instill some things in his young heart and at the times when she came to visit, there were opportunities to build on those things and shape him for adult life. I believe that she gave him an insight to her faith in God. Now, none of us can inherit faith like the family business or grandma’s china. It is as personal as our own DNA. But there can be instilled in our lives a receptiveness to the things of God at a very early age that will prepare us to build upon it. Teach your daughters to fix their hair and hold a tea cup and walk like a lady. Teach your sons to shoot straight and be polite and say, “yes, ma’am, no, ma’am, thank you, ma’am and please.” But don’t forget to instill within them a place for faith in God. I also believe she passed along godly values for living. You can read of the life of Samuel and know that he was possessed of a noble and virtuous set of values. Thank God for dedicated and talented teachers and preachers who do their best to show the way to our children, but for all they do it is only designed to be a supplement to what they learn at home. And I believe that she gave him an example of godly living. If there were times in his life when he searched for the picture of what a dedicated and consecrated person should be, he had only to scan his memories for a glimpse of his mother. Mothers, we salute you on your special day this Sunday. But I call you to take your place, whether your children are young or old, and give the kind of gifts that Hannah gave to Samuel. Roger Wall is the associate pastor of the North Malvern Assembly of God.
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