Dedicate this day!

I sat in my chair, surrounded by 700+ women, each of us taking in the amazing worship music and Bible lesson that had begun our weekend journey.   As our time of worship came to an end, one of the leaders offered a prayer for the day, which included words something like this, “We dedicate this weekend to you, God.”

We dedicate the weekend to God?  All of it?  Every workshop?  Every meal?  Everything I was going to do all weekend?  That thought stuck in my head and I started to wonder what it would be like if I dedicated my entire day, every day, to God.  What would I need to do to make it happen?  I decided to look in the Scriptures and was led to the story of Hannah, Samuel’s mother.

Hannah had been childless for many years, and it brought her great pain.  One day, when she was overwhelmed with anguish and tears, she poured her heart out to God, asking that He please give her a son.  She promised God that if he honored her request, she would give that child back in dedication to God.

¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” ~1 Samuel 1:11 (NLT)

Hannah made a decision that her son would be dedicated to God, and that there would be a visible sign of his dedication (his hair).  I could make a decision every day to dedicate all that I do to God. If my words were guided by the Holy Spirit and my actions were determined by God’s love, it should be visible to everyone around me that my life had been dedicated to the Lord.

²⁴ When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. ²⁵ After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.  ~1 Samuel 1:24-25 (NLT)

Hannah made sure that her son was ready before she gave him back in dedication to God.  She and her husband,  Elkanah, also brought sacrifices to offer God before turning Samuel over to Eli, the priest.  I need to make sure that I am ready before I dedicate my day to God.  I should prepare myself with Bible study and prayer.  I should offer my own sacrifice to God by surrendering myself and all of my plans to Him every day.

²⁷ I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.  ²⁸ Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.”  And they worshiped the Lord there. ~1 Samuel 1:11, 27-28

Hannah recognized that God had been faithful and, therefore, she honored her promise to dedicate Samuel to God for his whole life.  Then she worshiped the Lord.  I could remember, everyday, how faithful God has been to me.  I have been richly blessed.  Therefore, it would be a great idea for me to honor God by dedicating all my days to Him and doing it as an act of worship.

Can you imagine what a difference it would make in your life, if every morning you could honestly say, “I dedicate this day to you, God”?  I know it would make a difference in mine.