"Ask and you shall receive"
Hannah was married to a man who loved her, but who had a second wife who tormented Hannah because of her barrenness. One year, when her family went to offer sacrifices, Hannah begged God for a child, whom she offered to give to God as a "thank you" if God would honor her request.
God DID "remember her request" (1 Samuel 1:19), and Hannah soon gave birth to a son, Samuel, who she gave to Eli the priest's care as she had vowed she would. The Bible says that "though only a boy, [Samuel] was the LORD's helper" (1 Samuel 2:18). Even as a boy, Samuel maintained integrity when the sons of Eli were treating God's required sacrifices with contempt and seducing the young women assisting in the temple. " As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel did was wise and helpful." God also broke His long silence during those days and began to speak regularly to Samuel. Samuel became a priest even though he wasn't in the "right family" so to speak (God actually changed the FAMILY LINE of the priesthood at this time!), and became the one who anointed David as king! Also, in response to her sacrifice of Samuel, God allowed Hannah to have three more sons and two daughters because of her willingness to give her first son to God.
Maybe that was more info than you wanted, but I think that we should not forget how much God loves us and values our coming to Him! Like He did for Hannah, God changes things on our behalf when we ask in faith!! And God's answer went way beyond Hannah's request for a son! If you have some time this week, read through Ephesians chapter 1 and ruminate for a while on God's love for us! He gives us a love that is scandalously beyond logic, expectation, our deserving (IF in fact we deserve anything), or even our capacity to understand the depth of it! His contract (Covenant) with us is so rich, so full, so magnanimous, so faithful that it borders on ridiculous! I don't mean to imply that God always give us what we want, BUT He IS faithful to us, He LOVES us, "works out everything according to His plan", and gives us the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead! Of COURSE He hears us when we pray, and will give us justice when we cry out to Him!
You are so vital!! Not JUST to KidSpace or as a parent, but to the family of God and the work He is doing on earth!
