“When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.” 1 Samuel 1:25-28

I’ve been blessed to co-facilitate a Bible Study for a couple of weeks this summer. Group summer studies are a challenge in Corvallis. Winters here tend to be long and wet so when our glorious summers come we take to the outdoors every chance we get. Finding leaders who are consistently available and a consistent group of students is nearly impossible!

This year our Women’s Ministry decided to try summer session Bible Studies that are stand-alone sessions with little or no study required. On Wednesday nights a group of women consider some of the great questions of  Christian faith and doctrine. Every Wednesday they are given the question for the next week and spend whatever time they have preparing for the next gathering. I have not been able to attend this study, but I understand it has been a blessing and I love the topics they have discussed!

The other summer session is using Lifeway’s material “Bible Study by Demand”. Each video teaching session stands alone and highlights the teaching of one of the excellent women Bible teachers under Lifeway’s label. There is a listening guide to help as we hear the teaching and then we discuss the lesson together as a large group and in smaller table groups. We’ve had only one week so far and it was a delight! Tomorrow night we listen to Priscilla Shirer teach on “Wholehearted Worship” from her “He Speaks to Me” series.

Priscilla briefly focuses on Samuel as a wholehearted worshiper of God as she continues unpacking what that looks like in our lives. But this brief focus caused me to go back to 1^st Samuel 3 and take a look at what scripture says about Samuel. This also caused me to look at the legacy that produced such a man. What I’ve seen has been both encouraging and convicting. I’ve seen the battered heart of an infertile woman wholeheartedly seeking and worshiping God in the midst of her pain. I’ve seen this same woman continue her wholehearted worship after God answers her seemingly impossible prayer with a son that she then freely releases into the care and tutelage of a man whose own sons are unholy terrors. And I’ve seen that legacy of wholehearted, fearless worship continued in that blessed son.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll post a few observations about Hannah and Samuel and wholehearted worship of our great God! I hope you join me!