"Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared" - Psalm 76:1 (NIV).
There was once a woman called Hannah who had a wish that was long in coming. She wished for a child but then she struggled (1 Samuel 1). After travailing in prayer her desire came true. "So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20).
Then something quite unexpected happened. Long before she concieved Hannah had made a vow, praying: "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" (vv 11).
So after the birth of Samuel; "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, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always" (1 Samuel 1:21-22). Her husband did not object. "Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word" (vv 23).
Two things of note here. Hannah made a promise to the Lord which she kept. Everyone one knows it is one thing to make a promise before you receive the treasure. If this was a test Hannah gladly passed. For soon after Samuel was born she did not waiver. She did not look for excuses.
Through Hannah's life we are inspired to persevere in prayer as she did. And if it means making a promise, may the Lord help us, fulfil our vows, for His glory.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that you help me always keep my promises to you and that all glory goes to you, this I pray in Jesus's name.
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24/04/2024 - 25/04/2024 All day“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4)
Premier Joseph and King David have a particular common characteristics: two individuals who were blessed with success, in their work. When Joseph was taken into the household of Potiphar, “The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant” ( Gen 39:2-4).
Even when he was imprisoned later, on false accusations, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (vv 21-22). Later in his life he is made second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh. “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40).
For David, after he disposed off Goliath, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (1 Samuel 18:5). His success on the battle field would soon cause trouble for him when the troops started singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (vv 7).
In spite of Saul’s anger at the comparison and even trying to kill him, for David “in everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns” (vv 14-16). Eventually, the throne would pass on to David.
Success in life is one of the blessings the Lord has marked out for believers. These individuals were successful because the Lord was with them. The only one who does not wish to see success of us, is the enemy Satan, who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). May we pray that our lives are characterized with the anointing of success, because the Lord is with us!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that I bask in your success, in all that I do, because as was with your servants Joseph, David, Daniel and others, you are with me, and this I pray in Jesus’ name.
