“‘For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.’ And he worshiped the LORD there.” —1 Samuel 1:27–28 NASB

We all experience social pressures. Society tells people what theyshould look and be like; what being cool and normal is. Oftentimesthese expectations are beyond our control. Maybe you aren’t as athleticas everyone else, or you come from a family that doesn’t make a lot of money, or maybe you belong to an ethnic minority, or struggle with a disability. Whatever social disadvantage you may have, our culture is constantly placing expectations on us to fit a certain standard that at times feels unreachable.

So what do we do? Well, unfortunately some give in to these expectations. For example, girls sometimes resort to all kinds of harmful things in order to look the way society and the media tells them they should. Young men dress, act, and talk in certain ways hoping to be accepted by others. These attempts to change our circumstances to meet societal standards reveal a wrong desire in our hearts to find our ultimate fulfillment in things other than God alone.

This is what we see happening in the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah was anxiously overtaken by the social pressures of her day. She longed to have a child because in her culture, to be a woman without children was seriously looked down on. People assumed that barren women were inferior or possibly even cursed by God. Even though her husband loved her greatly (verse 8), Hannah had placed all her hope, identity, value, and acceptance in being a mother.

We all can relate to Hannah’s story because we all know what it is like to feel the pressure to conform to social definitions of what is cool, normal, beautiful, and acceptable. We want to belong and we hate being rejected.

This story allows us to see the pitfalls of conformity to ungodly social standards and the anxiety and hopelessness it causes. But this story also provides us with the solution: an authentic surrender.

Hannah surrendered her issue to the Lord, and she did it in two ways: First, she prayed to God and asked to have a child as she worshipped in the temple. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (NASB). This is what Hannah did. She surrendered her burden to the Lord. And we are commanded and encouraged to do the same. What this does is shift the wrong desire within us to find our hope in our circumstances rather than in our creator. We obtain a heavenly perspective instead of an earthly one.

Secondly, Hannah vowed that if the Lord would give her a child, she would give that child back to serve in the temple. This is an amazing act of faith. God responds to her prayer of faith; He causes her to have a child and, in obedience and loving surrender to her God, she gives her young child, Samuel, to serve in the temple.

Here are a few thoughts about this chapter: • Hannah provides a beautiful model for stewardship. It would be so hard for any loving parent to send his or her child away, in any cultural context. But Hannah proved two things: that God is faithful to His promises and that all our possessions (and even our children) do not ultimately belong to us. They belong to God and we are simply stewards of these gifts. • Hannah shows us how to handle social pressure. Hannah responded to both peer pressure and social pressure. Initially, she sought the face of the Lord through prayer and worship in the temple. And some time later, she made good on her vows, showing her continual trust in God as her primary source of hope, love, and acceptance. • God provides for His people. God answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a child. But we should also see in this story God’s greatest provision: another Child, a Son, the only begotten of the Father—Jesus. God gave the world His Son, who surrendered His life for us and provided the supreme example of authentic surrender.

D I S C U SS I O N Q U E ST I O N S :

1. What sorts of social pressures do you experience in both secular society and even the church?

2. How can Hannah’s story help you to overcome these social pressures?

3. Was there a time in your life where you gave in to social pressures? How did the Lord rescue you from this?

4. How does the life and ministry of Jesus model for us an authentic surrender?

AU T H E N T I C S U R R E N D E R

“‘For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.’ And he worshiped the LORD there.” —1 Samuel 1:27–28 NASB

We all experience social pressures. Society tells people what theyshould look and be like; what being cool and normal is. Oftentimesthese expectations are beyond our control. Maybe you aren’t as athleticas everyone else, or you come from a family that doesn’t make a lot of money, or maybe you belong to an ethnic minority, or struggle with a disability. Whatever social disadvantage you may have, our culture is constantly placing expectations on us to fit a certain standard that at times feels unreachable.

So what do we do? Well, unfortunately some give in to these expectations. For example, girls sometimes resort to all kinds of harmful things in order to look the way society and the media tells them they should. Young men dress, act, and talk in certain ways hoping to be accepted by others. These attempts to change our circumstances to meet societal standards reveal a wrong desire in our hearts to find our ultimate fulfillment in things other than God alone.

This is what we see happening in the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah was anxiously overtaken by the social pressures of her day. She longed to have a child because in her culture, to be a woman without children was seriously looked down on. People assumed that barren women were inferior or possibly even cursed by God. Even though her husband loved her greatly (verse 8), Hannah had placed all her hope, identity, value, and acceptance in being a mother.

We all can relate to Hannah’s story because we all know what it is like to feel the pressure to conform to social definitions of what is cool, normal, beautiful, and acceptable. We want to belong and we hate being rejected.

This story allows us to see the pitfalls of conformity to ungodly social standards and the anxiety and hopelessness it causes. But this story also provides us with the solution: an authentic surrender.

Hannah surrendered her issue to the Lord, and she did it in two ways: First, she prayed to God and asked to have a child as she worshipped in the temple. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (NASB). This is what Hannah did. She surrendered her burden to the Lord. And we are commanded and encouraged to do the same. What this does is shift the wrong desire within us to find our hope in our circumstances rather than in our creator. We obtain a heavenly perspective instead of an earthly one.

Secondly, Hannah vowed that if the Lord would give her a child, she would give that child back to serve in the temple. This is an amazing act of faith. God responds to her prayer of faith; He causes her to have a child and, in obedience and loving surrender to her God, she gives her young child, Samuel, to serve in the temple.

Here are a few thoughts about this chapter: • Hannah provides a beautiful model for stewardship. It would be so hard for any loving parent to send his or her child away, in any cultural context. But Hannah proved two things: that God is faithful to His promises and that all our possessions (and even our children) do not ultimately belong to us. They belong to God and we are simply stewards of these gifts. • Hannah shows us how to handle social pressure. Hannah responded to both peer pressure and social pressure. Initially, she sought the face of the Lord through prayer and worship in the temple. And some time later, she made good on her vows, showing her continual trust in God as her primary source of hope, love, and acceptance. • God provides for His people. God answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a child. But we should also see in this story God’s greatest provision: another Child, a Son, the only begotten of the Father—Jesus. God gave the world His Son, who surrendered His life for us and provided the supreme example of authentic surrender.

D I S C U SS I O N Q U E ST I O N S :

1. What sorts of social pressures do you experience in both secular society and even the church?

2. How can Hannah’s story help you to overcome these social pressures?

3. Was there a time in your life where you gave in to social pressures? How did the Lord rescue you from this?

4. How does the life and ministry of Jesus model for us an authentic surrender?

Harvest Christian Fellowship6115 Arlington Ave. | Riverside, CA

(951) 687-6902