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The story of Samuel. We are all familiar with his miraculous birth. His mother, Hannah, was barren, and she wanted a child so badly that she was even willing to give him up for the Lord's service, as long as it meant that her shame of being barren would be removed.
I wonder if she had second thoughts once she got pregnant? I wonder if she doubted her decision once she held the longed-for baby in her arms? After all, she had waited years for this child. Why would God ask her to give him up?
First of all, we must remember that God didn't ask her to give him up. That was all Hannah's idea! But God has very strong things to say about people who make a vow and don't keep it...: "When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you not vow, than vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?" (Eccl. 5:4-6 NASB). Therefore the fact that the vow wasn't initiated by God didn't matter in the least! Hannah made the promise, she had to keep it!
Can you imagine making such a sacrifice? The very thing you've waited so long to receive, and now you have to give it back to God? I'm pretty sure that Hannah understood how Abraham must have felt when God asked Him to sacrifice Isaac on the altar (See Genesis 22)!
If it were something easy to do, however, it wouldn't exactly fit the definition of "sacrifice", would it? God asks us for sacrificial giving. That means He asks us to give back to Him things that it seems like we need! Why? Because it builds our faith. If we only give to God what we know we can afford to give ... 10 minutes here, 50$ there ... it doesn't require faith at all! But the moment we begin doing things like taking our offerings off the top of our income instead of waiting until the end of the month to see if there's anything left, the minute we give of our time that we don't have ... That's when a huge step of faith is required!
In Hannah's case, she vowed a baby to the Lord, one that she didn't yet have. That took a tremendous amount of faith. And once baby Samuel was born, Hannah was faced with carrying out her sacrifice. It was a well-known fact that Eli's own children were corrupt (See 1 Samuel 2:12-17). What mother in her right mind would turn her prayed-for child over to a man who didn't know how to raise his own children? Yes, Hannah's sacrifice took a tremendous amount of faith, and it must have been incredibly hard.
No, sacrificing isn't fun. It is hard. It requires a lot of faith. There are a lot of "cons" to sacrificing!
But are there any "up" sides to sacrifice?
We need look no further than Hannah's story...
The moment when Hannah fulfilled her vow and made her sacrifice, she was incredibly happy, for she sent forth this prayer: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. Do not go on boasting so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed." (1 Samuel 2:1-3 NASB).
Hannah made her sacrifice in the manner in which it was meant to be made: "And I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord." (Psalms 27:6b NASB), and despite the difficulty, despite the required level of faith, she was joyful. Why? Because that's what happens when we put our faith in God!
But the story doesn't end here. Every year Hannah would make a little cloak for Samuel and take it with her when she and her husband went to Shiloh to worship (See 1 Samuel 2:19), and each time Eli would bless them and would say, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she requested of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:20 NASB). And the Lord did just that: "The Lord indeed visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters." (1 Samuel 2:21 NASB).
When we sacrifice of our time, our talents, our resources, even our beloved children, we do not go unrewarded! God gives us back even more than we give to Him!
Still not convinced? Jesus sacrificed Himself to save mankind. It hurt. It was hard. It cost Him His life. Yet the Bible records some "pros" to His sacrifice as well: "... who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)
When God calls us to sacrifice, it will be hard. It will hurt. It will require mega faith. But in the end, God blesses those who faithfully sacrifice for His work.
Are there "cons" to sacrificing? Absolutely! But these are far outweighed by the "pros"!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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