Hannah

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there. 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Hannah not just dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord, but she gave him to the Lord to serve Him all of his life. This was to fulfill a vow she made to the Lord while praying in anguish for a son. It is an amazing prayer for a childless wife who has been bullied, prodded, and irritated to the point of weeping and not eating by a second wife who did bear children for their husband. Year after year this scenario played out while Hannah prayed to the Lord. Over some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel. What joy and relief, and fulfillment she must have felt at his birth. Still, despite how precious Samuel must have been to Hannah, there was one more precious, more important to her, one she was intent on keeping her promise to. It must have seemed like a miracle to Hannah the Lord answered her prayer and gave her a son. It was another miracle that she gave up her only son, giving him back to the Lord.