“And she made a vow, saying, “ Lord Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
1 Samuel 1:11 NIV
Had Hannah been blessed with children we never would’ve read this prayer, and the prophet Samuel would never have been heard of. The strategic planning and purposes of God were met in this place of desperation. Timing is everything to God. There are no coincidences with Him. Samuel’s birth was well timed. The changing of the guards in God’s temple rested on Hannah’s desperate need for a child and her vow to give him back to the Lord’s service. Desperation and purpose collided that day. The scripture records these words at the call of young Samuel.
“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”
1 Samuel 3:1 NIV
But that was about to change and Samuel’s life would no longer be ordinary. Nothing was the same after that night. Samuel’s purpose and God’s timing collided and Israel now had a trusted prophet, one who heard from and obeyed the Lord.
Let’s look at other instances of God’s purposes meeting our desperate need.
When God made a covenant promise with Abraham, both he and Sarah were considered young and in their prime. But God had a specific time for the promise to be fulfilled. If you’ll recall when Abraham asked how will he know that everything God said would be fulfilled, God had him
see something that went beyond the birth of Isaac to the birth of the Jewish people and their exodus. Let’s read a few verses.
“But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
Genesis 15:8-16 NIV
This revelation showcased not only the birth of Isaac, but Jacob, his twelve sons which included Joseph and also Moses who would be the deliverer of the people of Israel. Isaac could not be born before the appointed time, and neither could Samuel. That last verse tells the story. God always has a reason for what we consider delays.
Hannah had no idea that the son she promised to the Lord would become one of Israel’s greatest prophetic leaders. Jacob had no idea that Joseph would become his provider in a famine, Jochobed had no idea except for a mother’s intuition that this child was different from Aaron and Miriam, she didn’t even name him, pharaoh’s daughter gave him the prophetic name Moses. She had no idea when she placed him in the basket that he would be the deliverer of God’s people from Egyptian slavery. She had two other children, but God waited for Moses. Why? Timing. You need to read the full story in Exodus. It's powerful.
Then Sampson. Why did God choose to open her womb when He did? Timing. Israel was in a pickle of their own making. So God allowed the philistines to rule them for 40 years giving Sampson enough time to be born and grown up, but it would still be at the right time. Judges 13
“A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Judges 13:2-5 NIV
Wasn’t there anyone else God could’ve used? Why them and why now? Timing and purpose. Sampson would start what would be completed by others. Who else comes to mind that defeated the philistines? That’s right! I heard you lol David the young insignificant shepherd boy. Delay is always one of God’s measuring tools. We can trust His timing and purpose, or we can like Sara try to make things happen our way. Hannah prayed and trusted, but she also kept her vow. Will we keep our vow when God comes through for us?
One more; Zechariah and Elizabeth. Why did God wait until, like Abraham and Sarah, they were beyond childbearing age? Surely there were others in the lineage who were younger, like Mary. Why them? They had prayed for years with no results. Timing and purpose. God had a set time, a time He called fullness of time. Galatians 4:4. John would only be a few months older than Jesus, yet when Zechariah doubted God didn’t change His plans, He simply silenced unbelief. You know the story in Luke’s gospel so I don’t need to share it here. But God’s plan will always tie His purposes to a need. Jesus needed a forerunner and the world needed a Savior.
This is why we need to be prayerful about every request. How does the desire fit into God’s bigger picture? Shallow selfish prayers will not see the light of day. If what you’re seeking doesn’t bring glory to Jesus, then it’s not costing you much. Like Hannah we may have to part with the answer, we may lose the long awaited request to unforeseen situations. But if we’ll learn that everything is for His glory, we won’t hold too tightly to whatever it is. God may just be waiting for that baby in your womb. He may also have been waiting for the one that had been aborted, or the one you hope to conceive. Every child has a purpose in God’s eyes.
Hold every gift from God with loose fingers. Be willing to part with it like Abraham was with Isaac. It’s just better His way. Regifting has become very popular. Do you know why? It may not have been something you wanted, but it may just be something they needed. Samuel was a gift Hannah wanted, but he was a gift God needed. The giver and the receiver both benefited. God can do more with what we give away than with what we keep. Remember that. It worked with all the people we just looked at, as they followed His plan. It will work for us too.
Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus
I pray that we will allow you to use our answered prayer for Your glory and honor. May we willingly give you all no matter the cost, since You in Your love and mercy gave Your all to us in the person of Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son.🙏
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant