Psalm 78:6-7 - That the generation to come might know, [even] the children [yet] to be born, [That] they may arise and tell [them] to their children, that they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments…
4 actions that leave a legacy of God’s goodness to the next generation
I. Recognize Your Need for God Regularly
1 Samuel 1:2 - [Elkanah] had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children…
1 Samuel 1:7a - It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord…
A. Acknowledging your human limits
B. Praying your concerns to God
1 Samuel 1:10 - She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
C. Knowing that the Lord weighs hearts
1 Samuel 2:3b - For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and with Him actions are weighed.
“[Jesus] saw a greater need for the sisters, more than a healer, they needed a Savior. More than a cure, they needed His cross. This is why Jesus adds, ‘so that the Son of God may be glorified’ (John 11:4) – a reference to the sacrificial and atoning death of Jesus.” (Patrick Slyman, The Masters Seminary Blog – January 15, 2021)
II. Continue to Trust God Through Trials
1 Samuel 1:3 - Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.
A. When culture challenges your commitments
B. When rivals rip you down
1 Samuel 1:6-7 - Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
C. When spiritual leadership is lacking
1 Samuel 1:12-14 - Now it came about, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”
III. Keep Christ Central as Parents
Deuteronomy 6:7 - You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
A. Children are a gift that belong to God
1 Samuel 1:27-28 - “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
Psalm 27:3 - Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
B. Christ must be exalted before your kids
1 Samuel 2:10 - Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens, the Lord will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed.
IV. Give Gratitude for God’s Grace
A. Give thanks your requests are heard
1 Samuel 1:27-28 - “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
B. Rejoice in your salvation (2:3)
Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
C. God watches over you (2:9)
Well, I do want to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all of the mother’s that are with us this morning. As a church we are super thankful for the many mothers in our church who serve the Lord so faithfully by the way they love their families and by the myriad of ways that they love and serve their church family.
Annual holiday’s like Mother’s Day provide a yearly opportunity to especially think about the unique ways that mother’s impact our lives. In preparation for this message I started reading a number of different resources on motherhood and mothering. And a really interesting series of articles I came across were written by Tim Challies who is a rather prolific Christian blogger.
- He wrote a series of 11 blogs titled “Christian Men and their Godly Mothers.”
The series looked at some of the most famous and impactful theologians in the past and looked at the role that their mother played in shaping their life.
He writes about the mother’s of men like
- John Newton—who is famous for writing the hymn Amazing Grace and his impact on William Wilberforce, who he encouraged to take up the life long cause of abolishing the slave trade in the late 1700s and early 1800s—
- Hudson Taylor—who is the father of inland missions in China—
- Christopher Yuan—who has is famous for his story of coming out of drug dealing and years of homosexual promiscuity...you can read his biography which is called Out of a Far Country.
- John Piper—who pastored for decades in Minneapolis and started Desiring God
- Charles Spurgeon
- And Timothy of the New Testament.
I’d encourage you to check some of them out. I found them very encouraging and it certainly caused me to reflect on my mother’s impact on me. For mom’s out there, it might be a real encouragement to you as well to peruse some of those articles, because most of those stories weren’t nicely linear stories of, I poured into my son and taught him and he listened and grew and it just kept on working that way forever...
Mothering, like all parenting has ups and downs. It has real significant joys and triumphs and it has real discouragements and defeats. It has times of sure footing and confidence, as well as times of real uncertainty and doubts.
One of the things I’ve found myself reflecting on over the years as I’ve gone into ministry and counseled and discipled more and more people is I’ve thought back and put myself in my parents’ shoes.
- I grew up in Colorado and I went away to college at Purdue University which is ultimately what connected me with Faith Church.
- But from my perspective at 18 years old, I was a smart, responsible adult that had it pretty much all together and there wasn’t any danger of things going really poorly for me at college.
But as I’ve looked back, I’ve seen more and more of my youthful foolishness and blind spots. And I’ve wondered how did my mom hold it together when she sent me off to Purdue?
- She could have listed 10,000 reasons...not 10,000 reasons for her heart to praise like the worship song says....but 10,000 reasons to be really, really concerned that her son might catastrophically fail!
Rather, than focus on those 10,000 reasons and panic, I’m sure I know what my mom did...she prayed.
- That was certainly one of the consistent themes in the Tim Challies articles as well...those men had mother’s that labored in prayer!
Luke 18:1 - Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
My mother I believe exemplified the point of that parable...she prayed consistently.
- I saw my mother pray, I knew she led prayer groups for most of the years I lived at home, and I’m quite certain that God answered my mother’s prayers.
Mom’s I’m hoping that this message today will encourage you to understand the importance of the role you play.
I’m also hoping that no matter the emotional condition you find yourself in today, that you’ll be encouraged in the goodness, care and sovereign plan of our God. We’re going to get to see in the text we’re studying this morning a woman who desperately wanted to be a mom but wasn’t able to for quite a while. And the Lord cares about her pain and hears her.
For the first 4 months of the year we study through the book of Philippians and we just finished that study last week. Our goal in studying that was to help us in our annual theme of Growing in Gospel Gratitude. This morning we’re continuing that annual theme, but talking specifically about Gratitude for God’s Goodness to Mothers.
In order to do that out the text that we’ll be studying this morning in 1 Samuel 1. So please turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel 1...
In this passage our main human character is a woman named Hannah. And we’re going to find out pretty quickly that the marriage she’s in has some challenges to say the least, and that she want’s to have children but is unable...and it’s been that way for a long time!
That’s why it’s such good news what we saw at the end of Philippians 4 about contentment...that because of the gospel...because of Jesus Christ, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us—which means as we saw in the context—we can be truly content in all situations. So even though Hannah is in a really challenging situation, the goodness of God is sufficiency of God is still enough for her, and we’ll see how that plays out.
So follow along with me as I begin in v.1.
[Read 1 Samuel 1]
With the time we have remaining we’re looking at Four actions that leave a legacy of God’s goodness to the next generation.
The word of God is clear that one of the primary responsibilities of parents is to teach them about the goodness of God so that they will leave a legacy of goodness for the next generation!
Psalm 78:1–4
1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
And of course, we have this significant passage to parents in the Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 6:4–8
4 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
What a significant and important task given to parents in raising children. That’s an everywhere, everyday job, which is what makes the first action so important.
I. Recognize your need for God regularly.
One of the hallmarks of mothers—especially in the early years of your children’s lives is that you meet needs. Constantly, you meet needs.
- And many, MANY times those needs come at the most in opportune times...like feedings in the middle of the night, or changing diapers just after you’ve left the house for an errand...
- And often those needs come when your physical, emotional and spiritual stability and fullness are not at the tippy top of the meter!
I should preface this story with, “I don’t have physical children of my own yet...” But I’d imagine that this sad little vignette in mine and Erika’s life might be a tiny taste of what many moms have felt at times...
- Erika and I had the distinguished responsibility of dog sitting Erika’s sister’s Yorkie dog, Bucky.
- This was a number of years ago so I can’t remember all the details exactly...but I know that Bucky had been staying with us for a number of days, and both Erika and I were ready for that to be over, because Bucky was overwhelmingly needy.
- One of the most frustrating NEEDS if you can call it that, was to want to sleep on our bed which we did not want...but he would hop at the side of the bed and squeal and make enough noise, and enough pathetic noise that it was just far too annoying to ignore...AND HE WAS PERSISTENT!
- So one time, however we got to this point, I’m not sure...but Erika and I were able to get into bed and we were able to hide that we were in the bed so he didn’t know we were up there...the bed was too tall for him to see, so Erika and I literally laid dead still on top of the bed, holding our breath to hide for this little furry animal....and guess what...it worked! He went away into the living room and slept!
Here's my point, as moms, I’m sure you feel the same way...you’d like to be able to hide at times!
And I think what we see in this passage encourages us to acknowledge that we are needy...
God meets us with his goodness and fullness in our neediness, and if you’re going to leave a legacy of God’s goodness to your children and the next generation, then one of the ways you can actually do that is by acknowledging need and weakness so that your spouse and children can see how God’s strength and goodness is what sustains mom and not her own strength.
If you’re going to recognize your neediness that starts with...
Acknowledging your human limits (v.2, 6)
I’d even add to acknowledging your human limits, your challenges as well.
Hannah has some serious challenges and limits that set the scene for the book of Samuel.
- Hannah is one of two wives...we don’t know whether she was first or second in the order of marriage, but either way that is a challenge and that’s made apparent in the text when she is called “her rival.”
- Marriage is hard enough when it’s between one man and one woman...add another to the mix and that’s a huge challenge.
“but Hannah had no children. . . because the Lord had closed her womb” (v. 2, 6)
I’m sure there are some in this room that when you read those words...”no children” those prod at longings in your heart that haven’t been met. Those unfulfilled longings for a child or perhaps another child may falsely be tempting you to believe that the Lord is against you and that God’s goodness has been closed to you.
But like Pastor Aucoin shared a couple weeks ago about the secret of contentment....there is the despair of POVERTY—not having what you want. But there is also the despair of PROSPERITY—when you have a lot but it’s not enough.
If you remember the story of Jacob in Genesis you might recall how Jacob had two wives as well...Rachel and Leah. His uncle Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah first. Jacob loved Rachel and wanted Rachel...adding to the difficulty of that situation is that Rachel and Leah were sisters.
Well, God blessed Leah with having children...but the way she kept naming the boys revealed that the good gift of a son might be what finally get’s Jacob to love her...for example,
Genesis 30:19–20
19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
Leah is going through the despair of PROPSERITY...she has children. Simultaneously her sister Rachel is going through the despair of POVERTY...she isn’t bearing children.
Here’s the point...everyone...every mom...every wife...every person in this room is needy...acknowledge your neediness to the Lord...acknowledge your human limits and challenges to the Lord. And as we see in the text, one of the primary ways to do that is by....
Praying your concerns to God (v.10, 15-16)
One of the ways you can tell this a real concern is that she show real strong emotions...she doesn’t come before the Lord to pray in a real put together fashion...
The text doesn’t say she calmly, with a perfectly content heart, gently asked of the Lord for a child, and then gracefully got up and went about her responsibilities...rather it says...
“She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly” (v. 10)
And...
“I am a woman oppressed in spirit . . . I have poured out my soul before the Lord” (v.15)
“for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation” (v. 16)
Notice how Hannah is specifically and passionately laying before the Lord here concern of being childless...
So an evaluative question arises from this text to each of us?
- Are you bringing specific concerns and irritations to the Lord?
- Are you so convinced that God alone is in control and able to help you that you plead with him for the answer?
The text is very clear that Hannah’s womb is closed because the LORD had closed her womb.
- - I certainly do not want to get graphic, but it doesn’t matter where in Hannah’s cycle they try and conceive, or what kind of diet, or whether it’s a full moon or an eclipse, or whatever kind of aphrodisiacs she wants to try in order to increase her chances of fertility...the LORD is in control, and going to him in prayer even with your frustrations shows real trust that the Lord is the only one that can really help!
Mark Vroegop in his book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy wrote:
Belief in God’s mercy, redemption, and sovereignty create lament. Without hope in God’s deliverance and the conviction that he is all powerful , there would be no reason to lament when pain invaded our lives. Todd Billings, in his book Rejoicing in Lament , helps us understand this foundational point: “It is precisely out of trust that God is sovereign that the psalmist repeatedly brings laments and petitions to the Lord. . . . If the psalmists had already decided the verdict—that God is indeed unfaithful—they would not continue to offer their complaint.” 2 Therefore, lament is rooted in what we believe. It is a prayer loaded with theology. Christians affirm that the world is broken, God is powerful, and he will be faithful. Therefore, lament stands in the gap between pain and promise. To cry is human, but to lament is Christian.[1]
That’s what we see Hannah doing...mothers...ladies wanting to be moms...moms that might be struggling and regretting becoming moms for various reasons...Christian...we need to follow Hannah’s example.
And some really good news is that the Lord weighs the heart.
Knowing that the Lord weighs hearts (2:3; 1 Sam 16:7)
A key theme through 1 and 2 Samuel is that God looks at the heart, and man unfortunately struggles to notice anything except the external.
- The first king, Saul, is noticeable because he’s taller than anyone.
- Sadly, I must admit that height doesn’t qualify you for leadership...I wish it was that simply.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
We find the same thing here...Eli, the high priest looks at Hannah praying and doesn’t see her heart, but quickly concludes she must be drunk because of her behavior.
Thankfully, the Lord looks at the heart and ways the heart. Hannah acknowledges this in her prayer of praise in chapter 2.
1 Samuel 2:3
...For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.
- God can accurately weigh actions every single time, because he knows our heart.
I want to speak to mom’s but I do hope everyone will listen in because it can be applied to you as well...
Mom’s is the Lord’s judgment and weighing of your heart what matters most to you?
- We are certainly seeing the toll that social media is taking on our children and teens...but Mom’s are you seeing the toll of “living for the eyes and opinions of others” and being the kind of mom that my family, my friends, my stroller jogging group or my school moms want me to be?
You’re living in a culture that is changing so rapidly, and yet a culture that is more and more opinionated and demanding...and motherhood might be one of the more challenging ones to navigate.
- I spoke with a recent father a few weeks ago, and I was asking about his wife and how she was doing...and he made the comment that everyone has their opinion on what you have to do to raise your child...not suggestions, not options, but ABSOLUTES on here’s how you have to
- feed your child,
- here’s the schedule you have to do,
- here’s how you have to approach toys,
- and here’s how you have to discipline and
- you have to stay at home with your kids or it’s best for your kids to see that a mom can work outside the home, or whatever other combinations there might be...
And I believe that trust begins with acknowledging your need....
A second action to help you leave a legacy of God’s goodness is to...
II. Continue to Trust God through Trials.
The emphasis in this point has to do with enduring over months and years through whatever trials the Lord brings.
Sometimes I think it’s easy to miss the amount of time that is covered in Scripture, because sometimes Scripture spends a lot of chapters and verses over events and things that don’t cover much time...but other times, a few verses or chapters might cover A LOT of time.
1 Samuel 1 is a chapter that covers a lot of time!
“It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord” (v. 7)
Clearly, this was not just a short trial, where Hannah’s rival made an offhanded comment just once to Hannah and that precipitated the weeping bitterly and praying in the temple. The trial with Peninnah and being childless has persisted for years. Hannah continued to trust the Lord.
One commentor said this on v.6 about the Lord closing Hannah’s womb:
Hannah’s sterility made her vulnerable to ridicule. Her rival provoked her in order to (baʿăbûr) irritate her. Was this what the Lord had in mind when he closed Hannah’s womb? The thoughtful reader recalls that in the Torah the people of Israel were forced to endure much torment before the Lord delivered them. Perhaps the portrayal of Hannah’s affliction was meant to draw this parallel to mind, thus preparing them for an act of divine deliverance in Hannah’s behalf.[2]
As hard, and as long, and as challenging of a trial as Hannah endured, what we know from the vantage point of history, is that God was using this to bring about a great deliverance, not only for her but ultimately for Israel and even for us! The son that Hannah has plays a significant role in the plan of salvation as he’s the one who anoints David as King who obviously is in the line of Jesus Christ through whom salvation comes!
So the point is clear, trust God no matter how difficult and long the trial is! And the historical context of Hannah helps us understand that that’s true even...
When culture challenges your commitments (v. 3, 19, 21)
So maybe you’ve been listening and you’d say, “Well that’s all well and great, but just look at the culture in which we live...that’s not practical to just trust God like that. Our culture is too wicked and there is too much opposition.”
So maybe like a famous political figure said in December of last year,
“I’d love not to have to participate in cancel culture. I’d love that it didn’t exist. But as long as it does, folks, we better be playing the same game. Okay? We’ve been playing T-ball for half a century while they’re playing hardball and cheating. Right? We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. Okay? It’s gotten us nothing while we’ve ceded ground in every major institution in our country.”
So is our culture so wicked that we can’t follow the clear teaching of Scripture anymore?
Friends, that doesn’t work on so many levels...and one of the major reasons that doesn’t work, is because the historical context in which Hannah is living is really, really bad as well! The time period Hannah was living in was summed up like this:
Judges 21:25
”In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
This time period in history was chaotic, wicked, and characterized by lots and lots of idol worship. And yet, one of the emphases of the text is the devotion to the Lord by Elkanah’s household...certainly his household wasn’t perfect, the text indicates they were not just caving to the cultural pressure:
“Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.” (v.3)
“Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord” (v.19)
“Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.” (v.21)
I hope their commitment would encourage you to make and stick to commitments that will oppose the cultural pressure around you to forsake the Lord...
For one, make the commitment to be in church faithfully week in and week out. Our culture wants to make online church or whatever serves me or is most convenient the norm.
- Make the commitment to be here with your family worshiping the Lord together every week.
- We live in a culture that loves vacations...and loves overworking...and loves not making commitments...
- All of that makes committing to church week in and week out hard, but that’s part of how we communicate the worthiness and goodness of our God—because of his love for me it’s worth it!
That’s true even...
When rivals rip you down (v. 6-7)
1 Samuel 1:6–7
6 Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
Some of you can probably relate to the enemies and rivals that know exactly what issues and buttons to push that make it hard for you to continue to be faithful to the Lord.
- Maybe for you it might be your parents, or siblings, or maybe even an adult child that seeks to attack you and erode your commitment to the Lord.
- For some mom’s and wives in this room, you might have a husband that attacks your commitment to the Lord...
Those kinds of relationships are hard...praise the Lord that he promises to be near to the brokenhearted. Praise the Lord that he promises to comfort those who mourn.
Hannah situation also has the added issue of poor spiritual leadership...
When spiritual leadership is lacking (v. 12-17)
Eli and his two sons are introduced in chapter 1. But we don’t learn much about them until chapter 2.
Eli, on seeing Hannah in the temple praying, accused her of being drunk and Hannah’s response in part was v.16 – “do not regard your servant as a worthless woman...”
In other words, Eli’s tone and words communicated that clearly to Hannah that his conclusion of her was “worthless.” OUCH! That’s not what you want to hear from the highest spiritual leader in the land, especially when you’re honestly seeking the Lord!
And ironically, we learn about Ei’s sons in...
1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.
And even though Eli’s sons are a mess, God even condemns Eli, because he didn’t do anything about their wicked behavior as priests before the Lord. So the context that Hannah finds herself in, is challenging on almost every front.
But she doesn’t allow a rival wife, bitter circumstances of having no children, a wicked culture and a hypocritical corrupt priesthood keep her from seeking and trusting the Lord.
Hannah’s name means grace...and what we see clearly on display here, is what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12...my grace is sufficient for you. No matter what you’re going through, seek the grace of the Lord, it is sufficient.
A third action that God’s grace helps us with, is to...
II. Keep Christ Central As Parents.
The way this story turns when God answers Hannah’s prayer for a child is remarkable, and it shows where Hannah’s heart truly was.
Often, when people pray and ask God for some blessing, when God grants them that blessing the temptation is to clamp down on that blessing with a white-knuckle grip to make sure that we never, ever lose it.
- But that kind of response to God’s blessing actually misses the point that....
Children are gifts that belong to God (v.11, 27-28; 2:5-6)
Notice what Hannah vows in v.11
1 Samuel 1:11 She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed ... give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life...”
On first glance you might read this and think that Hannah is bargaining with God and I thought that wasn’t right. Well, it might sound like she’s trying to manipulate God in order to get what she wants, but it’s really what she does with the child when he’s born that reveals where her heart truly is.
1 Samuel 1:27–28
27 For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.
What is so amazing about this, is that the child she longs for and prays for she ends up giving away and hardly ever sees him! If this request was simply about her own fulfillment and selfish interest, when the child was born she certainly would have backed out of the vow and decided to keep her son to herself.
But what Hannah proved the blessing and gift of her son was ultimately for the Lord and for his glory. She viewed her son’s life in the much, much larger history of God’s plan rather than thinking about her son just in her own small story...
Mom’s, I hope that you’ll see your children as gifts...wonderful gifts from God that you’ll want to use to bring glory and honor to the Lord.
Parents and mom’s in the room, if you’re looking for help on how to parent with the view that your children are gifts that belong to the Lord, I’d recommend a couple of books to you.
- Tying their Shoes by Rob Green
- Age of Opportunity (Teenagers) by Paul David Tripp
If you see your children as gifts from the Lord that belong to the Lord, then what will follow is...Christ will be exalted before your kids.
Christ must be exalted before your kids (2:10)
In Hannah’s prayer of praise in chapter she says at the end of v.9 and in v.10...
1 Samuel 2:9c–10
...For not by might shall a man prevail. 10 “Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Hannah knew that ultimate salvation from her adversaries wasn’t coming through the birth of her son. She knew that the ability of her womb to bear a child wasn’t bringing her salvation.
Instead, she looks forward to his king and his anointed who will ultimately bring salvation and victory!
Mom’s I hope that you are seeking to communicate in a million ways, every single day to your kids that your strength, your abilities, and your works are not what needs to be exalted, and no matter how exalted those things are, they are not where salvation comes from!
- And I hope that you’re seeking to instill the legacy of exalting Jesus and seeing him as your only hope and means of salvation.
- So it’s not your child’s academic performance, or athletic accomplishments, or popularity/like-ability that brings true joy and salvation.
- Rather, it’s the finished...emphasis on FINISHED work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Hannah looked forward dimly to the hope that you and I know and can look back and see. And I hope that if you’ve never put you’re faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus as the only hope of your salvation...I hope that you’d consider that today.
If you’re not sure what that means, then I hope that you’ll grab ahold of one of the service pastors...we’d love to open up Scripture and help you know for sure what it means to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Real quickly...one last action to leave a legacy of God’s goodness for the next generation...
II. Give Gratitude for God’s Grace
Hannah didn’t stop praying when her request was answered. It fueled more prayer.
But even more than fueling thanks when the request was answered, she gave thanks knowing that the Lord heard her!
Give thanks your requests are heard (v.19-20, 27)
In v.18–19, the text is clear that even before the answer, she went her way with thanksgiving.
- What a remarkable example of what we studied a number of weeks ago in Philippians 4:6...
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
I hope you’re thankful that we can even make requests of God and that he listens!! And he listens to all of our prayers because of Jesus Christ’s FINISHED WORK!
Rejoice in your salvation (2:1)
Hannah rejoices in her salvation...her son as we mentioned wasn’t the ultimate salvation...if I can say it this way, it was a mini deliverance...a mini salvation, but that mini deliverance caused her to rejoice in her ultimate deliverance that is from the Lord alone!
God watches over you (2:9)
1 Samuel 2:9 “He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail.
I hope this story of Hannah encourages you to know that God cares and watches over you more than anyone else...
If that’s true, I hope that you’ll do exactly what we’ve been thinking about as a church this whole you...grow gospel gratitude.
Mothering and parenting from a position of gratefulness makes parenting a whole lot more enjoyable, and more than that it brings glory to the Lord and will help you bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
[1] Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2019), 26.
[2] Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel (vol. 7; The New American Commentary; Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 67.
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