"But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, 'Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him,that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.' " (First Samuel 1:22)
From time to time, prophetic action involves not doing something. Hannah, in keeping her promise to God, resolved that when she came back to the house of the LORD with Samuel, he would stay and she would return home without him. So, she waited until Samuel reached an age where her physical presence was not needed to sustain him.
This is a challenging thing for those of us who were raised to believe that, unless we are sick or dead, we must be in church every time the front doors open. And certainly we must be sure that it is the Lord leading our actions. But Hannah's life indicates to us that, on occasion, prophecy trumps tradition. And that's okay.
Though Scripture is silent, I imagine that there were some in Hannah's community who didn't understand why she would stay home with young Samuel, rather than going back to Shiloh where her prayer was answered. Sometimes our prayer triggers a chain of events or behaviors that may seem weird to the casual observer. Elkanah's response to Hannah, though, captures the heart of the issue: "Only let the LORD establish His word." (First Samuel 1:23). In other words, make sure that you do what you promised the LORD you would do.
What prophetic actions are you engaged in, towards the goal of fulfilling your promises to God?
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