The Gift of Life

Did you know your life was meant to be a prize…a glorious gift from God? The child who abandons their own desires and will, through total surrender to the Lord will indeed receive their life as a gift, (O. Chambers).The word of God proclaims this in Jeremiah 45:5; “I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” (NIV)

Many of us, looking back over our life, might struggle to see it as a gift. Life is not easy. Yet, the point Chambers is making is not that our lives are a gift on their own. Rather, lives which are in “total oneness with Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life,” become our gift from God.

Abandonment of our own fleshly desires and wants leaves us completely available to the Lord and His work. Thus, we live freely in the will of the Father and like little children rest in His care. The gift is the freedom to be who we are created and destined to be. Living in oneness with the Lord is the supreme way of life and tragically so few people experience it.

The story of the prophet Samuel provides a wonderful illustration of a life surrendered to the will of God. First we see Samuel’s mother, Hannah, broken and barren crying out to the Lord for a child. Unable to stand the taunting of Peninnah (her husband’s second wife), Hannah prays for a child: a single son of her own. Hannah promises to give the child to God at the time of her petition, and makes no request for him to be great or revered. Still, God recognizes her willingness to sacrifice and honor the Lord. Hannah is “remembered” by God and is blessed with the son she prayed for. Faithfully, Hannah brings a weaned Samuel to the temple and presents him as an offering to the Lord. In return God blesses Hannah. To her great joy, one son given sacrificially to God is replaced by three sons and two daughters.

But God gave Hannah more than the blessings of children.

Samuel would bring honor to the family by serving in the Temple under Eli the priest. In addition, Hannah's gift to God would be God's gift to the Israelites. Through Samuel the Lord would speak to His chosen: “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions,” (1 Samuel: 3:1 NIV). Hannah would see the goodness of God as He remained with Samuel as he grew, “and he let none of his words fall to the ground,” (1 Samuel 3:19 NIV). Moreso, the Lord revealed himself to Samuel, called him into fellowship and made him His prophet. Samuel’s word became well known and revered as the Lord’s by the people.

Hannah’s act of worship--the gift of her son-- was greatly favored by God. We should not overlook Elkanah’s great sacrifice. He also sacrificed a son in giving Samuel to God. His love for Hannah allowed her freedom to honor God as she was led.

While the parents in this story certainly provide remarkable examples of sacrifice, Samuel is for us the model of complete surrender to the Lord. His first words to the Lord were; “Here I am…” (1 Samuel 3:8 NIV). As he grew Samuel gave of himself tirelessly to the Lord. The result was a life of closeness with God for himself. However the Israelites benefited as well. Samuel brought them a powerful anointing of the word of God. In his life, Samuel served as both a judge and deliver of Israel. Sharing the wrath of the Lord with his children and prompting them towards repentance and covenant renewal through the establishment of kingship in the land.

The one who recognized and submitted to the Lord as the sovereign King of Kings, anointed God’s chosen to govern His people.

Samuel could have ignored the voice of God calling to him in the night. He could have rejected a life of a Temple servant and sought a life based on his own dreams and desires. However, Samuel chose to live completely surrendered to the will of God and the calling He had made on his life. In return, the Lord God Almighty gave Samuel a mighty and meaningful life.

The adage; “living life to the fullest,” sounds good but really is impossible for those catering to their own wants and desires: for the ways of the world are shallow or empty. Only through total surrender to the will of God will we find freedom to be who we were created to be. And only in this freedom will we experience, the fullness of truly living the life God longs to give us. The gift of a life he died in order to give.

We simply can not out give God. When we surrender our all, He in return gives us everything.