“I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him.”
(1 Samuel 1:27 NIV)
I ended yesterday the way I end most days of late; curled around a good book. Last night’s pages weaved around the story of Hannah and Elkanah. It’s a story that is dear to my heart because we have a girl we prayed into the world and today is her fifteenth birthday.
Fifteen years feels like a lifetime ago, but I can still recall where we lived in those days. It’s not hard to summon up the urgency an empty womb, the excitement of a positive home pregnancy test, and the bitter disappointment of miscarriage weeks or months later. Like Hannah, I was left weeping in the house of the Lord. Afraid to try again. Reluctant to even ask. I did not know if my heart could take another loss. No priest spoke to me, but the Lord Himself, in worship on a Wednesday night mid-August. “If I gave you another child, would you let Me name it?” What a strange question. I was not expecting. Of course, I said yes and raised my hands in surrender to the surreal suggestion. Any additional child He saw fit to give would belong to Him fully.
Five months later, we were pregnant again. I held my breath for at least the first half of the pregnancy. Nine months later, on the Wednesday before she was born, in tears and triumph, our youth group named our baby girl: Sarah Audrey Thoreson. She has always been God’s special gift to us.
Today I read of Hannah and remember how our sweet Sarah is only on loan to us. Of course, it’s true of all our children: we’ve been invited to steward their childhood but ultimately they belong to the Father. He knits them together, He chooses their name, He fits them to His purpose, He designs the days of their lives and He calls them son or daughter. We are blessed to be included in the process: a warm womb to carry them, arms to enfold them, hands to clasp in prayer and clap together cheering them on as they follow God, growing into His good plans for them.
“So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:28 NIV)
Dear Father, thank You for the honor and privilege of being parents. Thank You for including us in the process of growing people. Give us grace and wisdom to raise them well, and courage to turn them over to You when the time is right. Amen.
**happy birthday, sweet Sarah.
We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for you!**