Principal's Message - Week 7, Term 2
Making Deals with God
Currently in my Bible reading I am working my way through the book of 1 Samuel. I believe there is considerable benefit from studying the Old Testament and learning from the decisions and actions of those who have gone before us. At the same time, there remains much that I am still unsure of when considering some of the events recorded.
You may be familiar with the story in 1st Samuel, of how Samuel came into this world. His mother, Hannah, was deeply grieved that she was unable to have children. Her husband, Elkanah, had two wives, and it didn’t help Hannah’s emotional health that Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, continually provoked Hannah because she had already borne children. In her grief Hannah cries out to the Lord in prayer and offers an arrangement with God – ‘….if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life…’ 1 Samuel 1:11.
I wonder whether you have ever found yourself in a situation where you were tempted to make a deal with God. Where you may have found yourself tempted to pray words to the effect of… 'If you do this for me, God, then I will do that for you.' In Hannah’s situation, God chose to bless her with children, firstly Samuel and then five others. Samuel did go on to be the famous priest who lived during the time of King Saul and King David. But I do wrestle with the notion that this is because of the agreement that Hannah negotiated with our Lord.
Whenever we are in a negotiation, it seems that it comes from the premise that both parties have something to gain. You might be negotiating the sale or purchase of an item; either way, you have something to gain in this instance, either the money for selling the item or the product itself. It seems strange to think that we can negotiate with God as if we have something to offer Him that He would benefit from or need. Crying out to God in our anguish is very human – there are countless examples of this occurring throughout the Bible. Indeed, we are encouraged in Philippians 4:6 ‘...in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ He certainly wants to hear from us, maybe not so much to make deals with Him, but to let Him know that we are doing it tough and we would value His help.
Isn’t it a blessing that, because of Jesus, we have access to the creator of the universe to cry out to in our times of trouble?
God bless,