And he worshiped the Lord there.

The narrative of chapter one ended with the worship of the Lord (v28). In fact, worship had been a repeated characteristic of the family of Elkanah. The word worship appeared three times in this chapter (3, 19, 28) and the act of worshipping God became the unchanging backdrop as the story of the main characters unfold. We see Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord (v21). Hannah brought with her a three year old bull and they slaughtered the bull (24-25). Hannah lent her child to the Lord. In some other translations, lent meant that she dedicated or gave her child to God. It was an act of offering worship unto the Lord.

Chapter one ended with he who worshipped the Lord. Some scholars had debated that grammatically, the original Greek word he, could also be in plural form, which meant they worshipped, referring to the family of Elkanah. If it was a singular, “he”, it could refer to Elkanah who led and completed the worship and offering of his son to the Lord. He could also referred to Samuel, who despite his young age, also knew and worshipped God through the influence of his family. Either way, this godly family never ceased to worship.

In such a backdrop, Hannah honoured her promise by offering Samuel to God and having him serve God permanently in the temple in Siloh. She did not do it immediately, but only after he was weaned. The timing taken for weaning in their context was usually more than two years and this gave Hannah enough time to care for her son and grow him in strength. After which, she personally took him up with her to the temple. It was probably harder for a mother to let go after weaning than to give him away immediately. But Hannah honoured her vows and dedicated Samuel, her beloved son to the Lord. Even in hard situations like this, the family offered their best worship the Lord. Rain or shine, he worshiped the Lord there.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are called to worship God corporately as a body on the Lord day weekly through our praise and worship. We are called to worship God privately and daily through our praise and devotion. How have your worship of the Lord been today? The fact that you are reading this devotion is a proof of your desire to honour God with your time. I encourage you to persevere in your daily worship of the Lord. Like a muscle, as you spend time with him consistently, you too can grow in our intimacy with the Lord! Martin Luther says “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” He understood the need to be with God daily.

Also, devotion need not be boring and dry. We can do our walks and listen to the Word of God. You can worship God with a song from Youtube or play the guitar. You can journal or even sketch as you read the bible text. Find ways that helps you to focus on Him and His words. What is most important, devote yourself to God, rain or shine. Psalms 34:8 calls us to come and taste that the Lord is good!

Prayer : Dear Lord, would you help me to set my heart to seek and worship you, however my circumstances right now may be! Would you draw close to me, as I draw close to you. In Jesus name I prayer, Amen.