Christ Church Daily Devotion Dec 7 2023

Hannah fulfilled her promise to dedicate her son to God's service, even though it was difficult for her to let go. We all experience moments of letting go and venturing into the unknown, but we can trust that God is with us and in control. Just like Hannah, we can find joy and peace when we believe that God is holding our lives tight. We should trust that God cares for us and have the courage to move forward in the life He has for us. Welcome to Christchurch's Daily Devotion for December 7th, 2023. Today, we will be reading from 1 Samuel 1, verses 21 through 28. When her husband, Elkanah, went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. After he was weaned, she took the boy with her. Young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, Ephah, a flower and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli. And she said to him, God is always on our journey with us, Even in the tough times. The scripture for today is so remarkably hard to imagine. Hannah had prayed desperately for a son and had vowed that if the Lord gave her a son, he would be dedicated to God's service forever. She fulfilled her promise and entrusted her son to Eli's care. What a challenging day that was for her. Letting go can be difficult. We all experience difficult moments of letting go of loved ones, venturing into new territories, fearing harm could be in the future. Sometimes we say goodbye to those whom we probably will not see until we meet again in heaven. As we say goodbye, we must trust God is with us and is in charge and will see us through. We can take heart when we recognize that God is the one who is ultimately in control. We can entrust those whom we love to his compassionate heart. Hannah had joy in her prayer because she knew God was in charge of her child. She had given him to the Lord who had blessed her with him in the first place. She trusted that her son's whole life was in God's hands. We too can survive when we believe the Lord is holding our lives tight. Today's personal worship option, Lord, help us to trust that you care for us. Give us the courage to move on, even when it is hard. Help us to live out the life that you have for us. Amen.