The 
story is told of a conversation between a farmer and God.
God: Mr. Farmer, you are a righteous man and a generous giver. How much are you willing to give me?
Farmer: Lord, I’ m willing to give you anything you ask for.
God: If you had a hundred dollars, would you be willing to give it to me?
Farmer: I would be willing to give you a hundred dollars.
God: If you had a thousand dollars, would you be willing to give that to me?
Farmer: If I had a thousand dollars, I would gladly give it to you.
God: And if you had a million dollars, would you also be willing to give that to me?
Farmer: Lord, you know I would.
God: Then give me your tractor.
Farmer: But, Lord, I need my tractor!
Isn’t it easy to boast about our generous giving as long as it doesn’t touch us personally? When the giving starts to become too uncomfortable, we often begin to show our true colors. There’s a gulf between hypothetical offerings and sacrificial giving. It is after we let go of our selfish needs and requirements that our lives of giving begin to shine in a new light.
There once was a godly woman named Hannah who shared a deep and personal problem with others such as Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, and Elizabeth. Hannah was childless, and it hurt her greatly. More than once her loving husband Elkanah tried to comfort her: “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (1:8). But his words did little to fill her emptiness.
Often Hannah pleaded with God to open her womb. She even promised God that if he would give her a boy, she would “give him to the Lord for all the days of his life” (1:11). Hannah knew that a living love for her distant child was worth more to her than living a life with no child at all.
We know how the story went. God answered her prayer and blessed her with a healthy baby boy. What went through her mind when she learned it was a boy? Was she sad because she now would have to give him back? Was she angry that she may have made a foolish promise? Did she try to find a way to ignore the situation, hoping God might have forgotten? Perhaps her naming the boy Samuel gives us a clue. Hannah answered those questions when she said, “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” (1:27, 28). That beautiful testimony is followed in Scripture with a 250-word prayer in which Hannah heaped praise on God for his marvelous blessing.
How much are we willing to give to God when he answers our prayers with a big Yes? Money, tractors, time, things that are dear to us?
Hannah was a perfect example of a woman who lived by her word. Hannah knew the meaning of sacrificial giving. She realized her sacrifice was just a shadow of the sacrifice her Lord would make for her.
When we read the rest of the story, we discover that not only did her son Samuel grow to be a godly judge of Israel, but God blessed Hannah with five more children! God did not leave Hannah’s prayers unanswered. Just as God graciously blessed Hannah, so he will provide for our every need.
We give thee but Thine own, whate’er the gift may be. Amen.
Recent Comments