And then the rest of us can take our Bibles and go to 1 Samuel chapter number 1. 1 Samuel chapter number 1. First Samuel chapter number one. I've been reading Samuel in recent days, and so I just was reading through this story, and I just knew that I was supposed to use this story today. And so, First Samuel chapter number one. Now, this isn't typical. This isn't a typical just Mother's Day message, but it certainly is about a mother. And I titled it Faith, Promise, Giving. And let me explain as we go through this today. 1 Samuel 1, verse 1, Now there was a certain man of Ramatham Zophim of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jerom, and the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, and the son of Zuth, and Ephrathit. And he had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penina. And Penina had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of the city yearly to worship and to sacrifice in the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion, for he loved Hannah. but the Lord had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her, therefore she wept and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou and why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than 10 sons? Not exactly the best question to ask, but anyhow. Verse 9. So Hannah arose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. And now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man-child, that I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.' And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart, Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. "'Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial, "'for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief "'have I spoken hitherto.' "'Then Eli answered and said, "'Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition "'that thou hast asked of him.' "'And she said, "'Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.' "'So the woman went her way and did eat, "'and her countenance was no more sad. "'And they rose up in the morning early "'and worshipped before the Lord, "'and returned and came to her house to Ramah. "'And Elkanah knew Anah his wife, and the Lord remembered her wherefore it came to pass when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived that she bear a son and called his name Samuel which means asked of God or heard of God saying because I have asked him of the Lord And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah went on up, for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good, tarry until thou hast weaned him, only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son Succ until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. And they slew a Boak, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, O my Lord, as thy soul liveth, my Lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall be lent to the Lord. and he worshiped the Lord there. Let's pray, and then we'll go on today. Lord, we thank you for your word, and help us now to hear what your word has to say, and that we can make application, that your spirit would make application and speak to our hearts today. I don't know the needs of everyone in here, but I know you do, and so that I would ask that you would just speak through your word and through me as just the tool to be used of you today, and that you would guide what's done and said for your honor and glory, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. First of all, I want to notice Hannah's challenge. Obviously, Hannah had a challenge. Psalm 127, it says, children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. And obviously, just from reading the story, you can see that it was a very big deal for her not to have any children. And not just the sentimental value, but probably just the scorn that she took from other people. I don't know the background here. The Bible doesn't say. I think it was wrong for Elkanah to have two wives. It certainly didn't help the situation, obviously, because Penina was grieving her even more, probably rubbing it in her face, the fact that she had children and Hannah did not. And we know how stressful that was for Jacob, and we can only imagine what it'd be like. And so very foolish for him to have these two wives. Could be that that Hannah was his original choice, and maybe Hannah suggested that he take on another wife so that he could have children, kind of like Sarah did with Abraham, which turned out to be not a good idea as well. Anyhow, it caused a problem, as you can imagine. The Bible says in verse number six, she had an adversary. She had an adversary. Verse six, her adversary also provoked her sword, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. She had an adversary. You know, the Bible says we have an adversary. Who was her adversary? You say, well, it was Panina. Well, that might have been the human person that the adversary was using, but you know who the real adversary is? The Bible says in 1 Peter chapter 5 that we have an adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 6 that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. How many times have you and I got angry at somebody for what they have done? Angry at some crime that they have committed to us? Listen, behind that person is the real adversary, all right? Satan was using Panaina. Panaina probably knew she wasn't the loved one. Panaina probably knew that there was something there with Hannah and Elkanah, and maybe she was jealous about that, and so Panaina was using this, and really, it was nothing to do with Panaina. Panina had nothing to brag about, but she was using this to rub it into Hannah, how evil and how wrong and how wicked that is. Hannah had an adversary, but listen, you and I have the same adversary. It's the devil. It isn't our Panina. or our neighbor, or our relative. It's the devil, alright? Try to remember that. When Satan comes along to tempt us, sure he uses people. One time, Peter made a really foolish suggestion to the Lord, and the Lord said, Satan, the Lord recognized that it was Satan just using Peter to say things that were foolish and wrong to be said. And so understand this, she had this challenge of not having children. And I know it was a grief to her, it was a burden to her. And on top of that, she had someone that Satan was using to rub it in. Listen, circumstances can be used to discourage us. It says here in verse six, to make her to fret, to fret, to worry, to pine away, to be angry, to be upset, to be just grieved. Psalm 37, I'm just gonna read some verses out of Psalm 37. One of the great chapters in the Bible, Psalm 37, verse one, fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Have you ever had someone in your life that just made you fret? Just agitate you and get you worked up and worried. And she was fretting and she was getting worried. You could just see this getting worked up in her soul. Fret not, the Bible says, verse 2, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Instead, verse 3, trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. Verse 4, one of the great verses of the Bible, delight thyself also in the Lord. and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." That's a great verse to memorize. Instead of fretting, delight yourself in the Lord and let Him give you the desires of your heart. Verse 5, commit thy way into the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment as the noonday rest. Verse 7, rest in the Lord Wait patiently for him fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in the way in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass cease from anger and Forsake wrath fret not thyself in any wise To do evil Satan would love for you and I to return evil for evil, but you notice something back in first Samuel one Hannah didn't return evil for evil There's ladies in our midst today. You have not had physical children, and I'm sure it's a grief to you, and yet God has a plan and a purpose, and Hannah didn't return evil for evil. You know what she did? She fretted. She got frustrated about it, but she didn't return evil for evil. Instead, verse 7, you know what she did? When her husband went up to worship, guess what she did? She went with him. Her response, I want you to notice the response to the challenge, verse seven. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, Hannah went along with, and Panida continued to provoke her. But Hannah, you know what she did? Number one under the response, she continued to faithfully serve. The Bible says in the last days, perilous times will come. We're in those last of the last days, I believe, and perilous times have come. But you know what the Bible says later on in 2 Timothy 3? It says, but continue doing what you're supposed to be doing. Continue in what God would have you do. Listen, there's all kinds of things that get us frustrated and fretting and get us worried. First of all, get away from the negativity, all right? Now, if your husband married you and married her, then obviously you gotta live in the same house. That's tough, but don't dwell on it and focus on what is good and continue in the things that are right. She continued to faithfully serve God in spite of this challenge that she had in her life. Now, on top of that, verse number nine, by the way, she never did answer the question, aren't I better than 10 sons? I'm sure he meant well, and really, you know, she had a loving husband, but that wasn't the answer. Verse 9, here was the answer. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. Verse 10, and she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore. Verse 15, it says she poured out, she poured out her soul before the Lord. She took her problem And she took her grief and she brought it where? To the Lord. She gave it to God. She gave it to God. Listen, that's what we have to do. Boy, so many times I wanna restore evil for evil. How about you? Instead of recognizing the adversary as the devil, I recognize the adversary as that person. And you know what happens when we attack the person? Now Satan's back there laughing, because now he's got two people messed up. You know? And that's what Satan would like to do, our adversary, as that roaring lion looking for who he can devour and destroy. But instead, she forgot, she brought her troubles to the Lord. Now, I quoted it, but now I wanna go look at it. 1 Peter 5. Keep your finger in 1 Samuel, but 1 Peter 5, and we're gonna back up a couple verses before we get to the verse about the adversary. 1 Peter 5, and verse, Number six, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Now nobody likes to be humbled, but we do kind of enjoy exalting, that's kind of nice. But it says humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Verse seven, casting how many? Casting all your care upon him. for he careth for you." Then verse 8 talks about that adversary, the devil, resisting him. But verse 7, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. The Bible says back in 1 Samuel 1, she poured out her heart and soul before the Lord. Someone said it this way, she cast it all on him. She didn't just tell him about it, she gave it to him. Casting means to roll it onto the other person. Back in Psalm 37 we read about casting our burden onto the Lord. Letting the Lord take it instead of ourselves. Letting him carry the load instead of us. I think Hannah prayed and said something like this, God I just can't handle this. And she begged God and she said, just take it. She wasn't even so much asking for him to give her a son for selfish reasons and to shut Peniah in his mouth as so much as she just needed God to take the load. And I believe he took it that day because we know what happened a little bit later. She walked out of there with a smile on her face. I want to show you though something in the middle of all this that we can call faith. Promise giving you know when it comes to our giving It is to be that way it is to be of faith It is to be of promise and that it is to be of giving let me show you what she did in verse 11 1st Samuel 1 verse 11 and she vowed avowed she already obviously has faith She's praying to him. She's weeping and she's praying to the Lord in verse 10 verse 11. She vowed avowed There's the promise O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a manchild, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life. Let me ask you a question. What do you have that God didn't give? What is it that you can give to God that he didn't first give to you? All of our giving is returning. Do you know that? All of our giving to the Lord is returning. And she, by faith, promised him a promise. A promise that I wonder if everybody in this room would make. Somehow we get it in our minds that it's our right to have these children. I'll just be real honest with you. I had to struggle with it a few years ago, and I think I have it settled now, but I had to struggle with it a few years ago when I realized they're not mine. Now all these years I've called them mine, and all these years I've fed them, and I clothed them, and I took care of them, and I made sure that they obeyed, and every time I gave a command they were to listen. And I've always called them mine, but there came a day when I realized they're not mine. As a matter of fact, they never were. They were just on loan from God. She understood something that I think a lot of mothers never do understand, and she wasn't even a mother yet. She understood that the purpose of my children, my quote-unquote children, is to glorify the one who gave them to me. And notice her prayer. It's very submissive, if you're filling in the blanks. She's very submissive. She says in verse number 11, if. She doesn't demand, does she? If you should do this. She recognizes who has the ability and she's just submissively saying if you want to, if you will. Submission. Then notice also surrender. Surrender. I will give. I will give, not selfish. So many times we're selfish with our kids. This is what I have to struggle with in my own heart. I want them to be around where I am. But that's not necessarily where God wants them to be. And I have to surrender to what He wants. Submit to Him, surrender to what His will is for my life, and not to take possession of what belongs to Him. Many people will dedicate their babies, but they don't really dedicate their babies. Hannah was dedicating her baby before she ever had one. She was saying, if you will do this, Lord, I will give him back. The word gives used twice in the verse. First time it's God giving, the second time it's her giving. See, there's faith, there's promise, and there's giving. Oh, by the way, there's one more S in my outline here, separated. Look at the end of verse 11. I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." What does that mean? Well, that was a Nazirite vow. That was a Nazirite vow. That was something like Samson. There was just a few times where someone would take a vow. You can go back into the book of Numbers and Judges and you'll find where a Nazirite was not someone from a certain place. Jesus was not a Nazirite. He was from Nazareth. That's a whole different word. Jesus, I don't think, had long hair. He wasn't a Nazirite. A Nazirite is not from a place. A Nazirite is someone who has made a certain vow, and the vow is a separation. In the case of Samson, there was to be no cutting of the hair because it was a picture, it was a symbol, and it was a shame. As the Bible says, it's a shame for a man to have long hair, but they were humbly having long hair. They were humbly saying, I'm a Nazirite, and I have a vow. And Hannah was saying, I'm going to make sure he stays separated. And he is obviously, to everyone who sees him, by that long hair, and by his other not touching anything of the grape, not touching anything of the vine, no grape juice, nothing like that, no grapes at all, and things like that, certain restrictions that a Nazirite had, they would know instantly, that boy is God's. And she had that young man, before she ever met him, separated unto God. Again, a lot of people don't do that with their children. They're not separated of the Lord. I think it starts out because we think they're ours. And I think the reason why we allow children to get spoiled is because we don't realize they're His. and we think that being best buddies with them is good for us because as long as they're best, you know, and we just give them whatever they want, that's not good for them, and it's really not good for you. It's certainly not good for society. But Hannah practiced faith, promise, giving. And notice something here. Before she ever was even pregnant, look at verse 17. The priest said, go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, let thine handmaiden find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. Question, was she now happy because she had a baby? No, she didn't have a baby yet. Why was she happy? Because she had cast her burden on the Lord. That load she'd been carrying was now His responsibility. If God wants to do it, He can do it. But I'm leaving it up to Him. I'm letting go of that heavy weight that I've been carrying. And she could go home with a smile on her face. She left with peace and confidence. Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. Now third, Hannah's testimony. Let's see Hannah's testimony of what God did through her. We already have read through it once, but we can look now at the end of chapter one in verse 27. For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition, which I asked of him. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he liveth, he shall be lent to the Lord. And Samuel worshiped the Lord there. By faith, she kept her promise to give back. Folks, when God receives a promise from us, He wants us to keep it. And I think we all know promises are serious and especially before God. We have something called faith promise giving in regards to missions. It's so important that we don't just say, well, as long as I got it, I'll give it. or as long as it doesn't cost me anything, I'll give it. But we recognize that what I promised, I'm going to give. Now, I think every mother in here, I think every person in here, forget mother, every person in here has got to read this story and say, oh my goodness. It says in verse number 26, no 20, oh boy, where am I now? Verse 24, at the end of verse 24, and the child was what? Young, I don't know how young. He was weaned. He was probably old enough to do chores, but he was young. I think he was probably preteen years. And she came with three bullocks, maybe as a, you know, help pay for the groceries, I don't know, offer the sacrifice to the Lord. And she brought their little boy, Samuel. Samuel means asked of God. She brought little asked of God with her. And she said, I'm the lady that prayed. Remember several years ago when I was there and I was just mouthing the words and you thought I was drunk. I wasn't drunk. I was just so hurt. And I'm keeping my promise to God. He faithfully blessed me and now I'm giving him back. Wow. Mom and dad, can you imagine? I mean, anybody. Can you imagine? It says at the end of chapter 2, in verse 18, it says, chapter 2, 18, but Samuel ministered before the Lord being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Verse 19, moreover, his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. So once a year, she'd come back into town. She'd go back to the tabernacle to offer another sacrifice along with her husband and worship the Lord in the tabernacle. And of course, she'd see little Astabagod and she'd say, I made you a new outfit. You think there was more than just handshaking going on? Hugging and kissing and just happy tears. Mommy, look, look what I've learned how to do. You say, wow, I just don't know if I do that. Well, That's the type of a promise she made to God. That's what she'd given. The Bible says, and we don't need to turn there, I'll just quote it to you, but the Bible says in Matthew 6.33, Look at chapter 2 and verse 20. I read you verse 18 and 19, but now look at verse 20 and 21. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, the Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went into their own home and the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord. She didn't just give up her son and go back and be a empty nester. Oh, God blessed her with five more. So she got to enjoy children at home, plus she knew that her firstborn, her special gift to God, was there in God's house. And don't you think, don't you know she probably had the confidence of knowing that God was taking very good care of him? As a matter of fact, the Bible says there was no open vision in those days But God, to a little boy in a bed, God said, Samuel. Samuel thought it was Eli. He ran and, yes sir, what do you need? Eli said, I didn't call you. Samuel went back to bed. God said, Samuel. And he ran, Eli, what do you need? Eli said, I didn't call you. And I think Eli realized it's God calling you. He said, next time he speaks, you just say, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth in a young, Boy, God spoke to him. This boy was special. And God was talking to this boy. And God said, Samuel, here's the future. Here's what's gonna happen. Bad things are gonna happen to Eli. He's not been doing right. His boys are really messed up. But Samuel, I'm gonna use you, and you're going to lead, and you're gonna judge this nation. Folks, let me tell you something. Hannah didn't just give a gift to God. Hannah gave a gift to an entire nation. If you read the story of Samuel, he's one of the best guys in the Bible. I was reading how that when Samuel got old, they decided they need a king, and Samuel said, that's a bad idea, and just to show you it's a bad idea, I'm gonna call a thunderstorm, and boom, there was a thunderstorm, just nailed him. The power of God in that man's life. Can you imagine as Hannah was back at home and her five other children are growing up and maybe some people came over to visit, do you think maybe Hannah ever pulled out the newspaper and said, did you read what Samuel's been doing? You think she might have ever done that once in a while? Hey, you ought to see what Samuel's in charge of now. Folks, you can't out-give God. You can't possibly give God more than he can give you. When you put him first, he adds things to you. I know mothers who don't want to talk about their kids. And I know a mother who didn't get to raise her kid because she gave him to God instead, and she never stopped talking about him. You see the difference? Yeah, but that's his terrible sacrifice. Boy, I tell you what, when you give something to God, he can do way more with it than you can. I'm not just challenging or talking about Mother's Day. I'm challenging all of us. Seek first the kingdom of God. The Bible says in Proverbs 10, verse one, a wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son of who a son breaks the heart and is an embarrassment and a shame to his mother. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What kind of a testimony do you want? God used Hannah and God, because of Hannah, used Samuel. Oh, by the way, if you notice, I've got four kids and two of them are named Hannah and Samuel. I don't know that I practiced what Hannah practiced. But in the back of my heart and mind, I realize it's, they're not mine. Oh, I love them. And I've invested in them, but they're not mine, they're his. They belong to him. But with that in mind, I wanna remind you of something else. Faith, promise, giving. 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. What does God want you to do? How does God want you to be like Hannah? Maybe God is not answering a prayer. Maybe God's not resolving a situation and maybe he's waiting for you to humbly say, God, I'm so desperate that I want you to do it so that I can then honor you with it. Many people want children, but they don't want children for the Lord. God allowed Hannah to get so desperate that she said, God, I just want to be able to be fruitful, and I want it to glorify you. There are many people who want to be fruitful, but it isn't to glorify him. And God is waiting for us to humbly say, Lord, I want to give the fruit back to you, not possess it and keep it for myself. I just want to show you this concept over in the New Testament for us in 2 Corinthians 10, in the middle of verse 15. When your faith is increased, Hannah had to have her faith increased. She had to believe and trust that God could do it. And then after that it says, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly. that you would, above even our own measurement rule, abundantly give towards our behalf, that your faith would produce giving, that we would be enlarged by your faith. Let me ask you a question. If you have faithfully given, we read the East Steps letter today, I know for a fact there's people in this church that have personally given to the Bill Smith family for years. We, as a church, have given to the Bill Smith family for years. What do you think it does to the heart of someone who has personally, faith, promised, giving to a missionary, to a ministry, to a work, when you see that work just keeping on, keeping on and continuing, and you see what you gave being used? What do you think it does to the heart of the giver when they see that? So if they were here last week and Brother Bill was up here preaching and you see the results of his ministry around the world, literally, and you say, that's part of my giving. It's kind of like Hannah saying, that was my gift to God. Ooh, want to read the headlines? Look what Samuel did today. You know what? Those of us who never give, we never have any headlines to brag about. We never have anything that we can say, look what my gift has now become because of God. And here in verse 15, it says, when your faith is increased, that we shall be increased that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Because of your faith and your gift, now the gospel can be preached to the regions beyond, the other parts of the world. That's why we have faith, promise, giving. Folks, there's people in our church that in the past that they've given sacrificially and very quietly, very secretly. to the Lord. They've given it to a certain mission or a certain ministry project. And oh, it does my heart good when I see how God blesses and how God uses that in the ministry that's now multiplying and growing. And you can just be sure that when people hear about the orphanage in India or the church in New York getting a building or other things that are happening in different parts of the world, they're saying, I had a part in that. God did that through me. That's what was happening in Hannah's life. And oh, by the way, Hannah wasn't at home saying, I sure wish I could have had a child to play with. She had five on top of the one she gave to God. You can't out give God. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. My desire is that my children are gods. And I say this not flippantly because, as I've said before, there has come a time when I've realized that God may take my children. You know, my son, he says he wants to live around here when he's done with school. I hope so, that's selfish. I hope so for my sake. But actually, wherever God wants him, that's where I want him to be. My daughter, some creep's gonna wanna marry my daughter someday. That's why she was raised, to marry a godly man, to serve God, not me. I'd love for her to stick around and serve me. She's a good cook and she's becoming just like her mother. But whatever God wants, that's what I want her to be. Not only that, but my other two, whatever God wants, that's what I want them to be. And we give those things back to God. We recognize our children belong to Him. And oh, by the way, the parts where they're not so good, the parts where they're not like they ought to be, I did that. You know what I mean. Now, I don't think in today's world God is telling us to take our children and drop them off at a monastery. In fact, I know that's not right. I don't think God's telling us that if you're barren, that you're not right with him until he gives you a child. That's not what the message here is. But what does God challenge you with? Are you focused on the person, the adversary, his penina? Or do you recognize Satan's just trying to get you bogged down and defeated? Do you recognize that whatever happens, you just continue serving God? How many of you know that God can use a thing called adoption to provide for people? You don't have to officially, legally adopt for God to... There's children that are here today that could use you to just take them under the wing. Maybe on a Sunday after church, take them out to... dinner and provide for them and give them something and provide for them some love and some care. And to maybe just kind of take them under your wing and say, hey, I just want to have some time with you. If your mom and dad allow it, just go out and maybe go shopping or do something like that. One of our missionaries in Belarus where Hannah and Caleb are right now is Vladimir and Olya. Because of health issues, Vladimir cannot have children, Vladimir and Olya. But next week, they're adopting a two-and-a-half-year-old son. For years, Dave and Gina over there as well could not have children, but there were some children in Belarus who had no parents. Dave and Gina took them in and raised them, and now that young lady, Karina, is married to a different missionary serving there in Belarus. You know, there's other ways that God can use you and God will make you what you couldn't be yourself. The Bible says in more than one place that many more children are from the barren than those who had children. Don't think physically that because you didn't have children that God can't bless you with children. He can. I think you ought to just say, you know what? All these kids that come to Anchor Club, all these kids that come to science school, they're my kids. And by the way, some of them need you to be their kids, to be their parents. However God wants to use you, let Him use you. And don't forget, it came from Him, it goes back to Him. I know right now that, and we all would understand this completely, I know right now that Lincoln belongs to those people over there. But hopefully they know he actually belongs to God. What are you holding back on? I don't read about Peninnah's kids doing anything, do you? In fact, all the other people that were having children during Hannah's day, I don't read about them serving God specially, but I do read about a little boy called Asked of God and what God did with him. Because someone said, God, I so desperately want a child for your glory, not for my personal enjoyment. I want a child so I can give him back to you. Is that what you're doing with your children? Is that what you're doing with your possessions? Is that we're doing with all the things that God's allowed you to have? Or do you recognize what you could be doing with it? By the way, where has Hannah and Samuel been for the last three or four thousand years? Together. They've been together. You know, you don't ever lose when you give to God, you know that? Whatever you give to God, you know you'll see it again. Whatever you give to God, you'll see it again. You can't possibly out give him. You get to heaven, he'll say, you sent me that and I invested it, now here's your investment. That's what God does. Faith, promise, giving. Let's bow our heads for prayer. Dear God, help us to by faith give, whether it's a child, whether it's desires of our heart. Lord, help us to seek first your kingdom. So often we want some other kingdom. We're seeking a different kingdom besides yours. And you're not impressed with that and you're not going to grant that. But Lord, help us to seek you first, put your kingdom first, trusting that in time, with patience, all these things will be added. Lord, help us to cast all our cares, not most of them, but rather cast them. Help us not to just talk about them, but cast them on you. and walk away with a content, happy smile knowing that you're in charge of our problem and you'll do with it what we can't do with it. And Lord, help us as parents to always remember those special gifts are yours, not ours. And that we would, by faith, make a promise we won't break and we'll give, whether it's our children, our family, or other possessions or things, that we would give it back to you and let you do more with it than we could possibly do with ourselves. God, help us to trust you and to learn from Hannah today, and we thank you for her story. And we ask that you just bless us as we go our ways today and that you would continue to work in hearts and lives, in Jesus' name, amen. We are dismissed.