Austin's Blog

There is a story in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel about a barren woman named Hannah. She desperately wanted a child and cried out to the Lord for one, only to have a season of waiting and hoping through tears. To be barren or infertile during that time was questionable. What had she done that God did not bless her with children? What was wrong with her? There was often deep sadness, shame, and sorrow surrounding infertility then. Hannah prayed and prayed to the Lord and promised even to dedicate her baby to God if she was fortunate and blessed enough to be given one from Him. She prayed in 1 Samuel 1:11, “…O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life…” The Bible says the LORD remembered her and she would eventually conceive a son she named Samuel. What was she to do? She finally had her precious baby, but what of the promise she had made? Would she really give him up? Could she stand it to let him go after a short time? The Lord had remembered her, but did she remember the vow she made? Full of trust and devotion, Hannah fulfilled her vow to the Lord and brought the boy to the high priest and gave him over to the service of God. Hannah said in 1 Samuel 1:27-28, “For this child I pray and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore, I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives he is lent to the Lord and he worshiped the Lord there.”

Obviously, I read that passage differently now. Imagine the great pain and difficulty Hannah had in giving up her son. Yet, this was the fulfillment of her vow and promise to God. Hannah’s story teaches us a very important lesson—our children are gifts from God. They are lent to us. Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” They are a heritage and blessing from God. They, ultimately, belong to Him. They are entrusted to us. They are on loan from God just like everything else we have. J.C. Ryle reminds us, “All that we have is a loan from God. We are God’s stewards. We are God’s debtors. Let this thought sink deeply into our hearts.” Our calling as parents is to train and teach them everything God desires of them and turn them over back to Him. We dare not think they belong to us.

Our task of being Gabriel’s parents is somewhat finished, though we will always be his parents at the level of identity. Our training, nurturing, and teaching are over for now and Gabe is currently being trained by Another. Joy Bayley writes, “If Jesus were here on earth and told you, ‘I’d like [Gabriel] to be with me; I want to take over his teaching and his training,’ you’d gladly give him up. And he’s done that, by taking [Gabriel] to heaven. We don’t own our children; we hold them in trust for God, who gave them to us. The eighteen or twenty years of provision and oversight and training that we normally have, represent the fulfillment of that trust. But God may relieve us of the trust at any time, and take our children to His home.” The Master teacher and rabbi came and Gabriel was chosen to skip some grades and advance in his studies much quicker than we thought. As painful as it is, Gabe is now under the direct watch and care of God. We have fulfilled our duty, met our obligations, and have been relieved of our trust of him. Giving him over to God was always required of us; it is the timing of it all that was a surprise.