The Prayer Of Relinquishment

The Prayer of Relinquishment

[Hannah said to Eli,] “I asked the LORD to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28

The prayer of relinquishment, giving back to God what is dearest, is the first recorded prayer by a woman in the Bible. Hannah had told God that if he fulfilled her deepest desire for a child, she would relinquish that child to God for his service, and she kept her promise. She gave God her beloved, firstborn son, Samuel. Her prayer of release wasn’t only for the day, as her child hopped on the school bus for kindergarten, to return in the afternoon. Her little guy was going to live at the Tabernacle for the rest of his life.

Who or what is most important to you? Can you picture yourself placing that person or other desire in God’s loving hands, along with your self-will, your plans, and your desires for outcomes? Although it’s one of the toughest prayers to pray, the prayer of relinquishment, or letting go, releases the most power and grace. And though it doesn’t guarantee that things turn out the way we want, the prayer of relinquishment does invite the power and grace of God into the situation.

What were the results of Hannah’s releasing Samuel to God? Her sorrow turned to joy. Freedom and blessing abounded. As she dedicated Samuel to the Lord, her heart sang a song of praise that has rung down the ages: “My heart rejoices in the LORD!” (1 Samuel 2:1). Later, God blessed her with three more sons and two daughters (see 1 Samuel 2:21).

As Samuel grew, God protected him and used him in a great way as his chosen spokesperson in a crucial time in Israel’s history. —CHERI

Help me to be willing to give whatever I hold most dear to you, Lord, to entrust it into your care, your goodness, and your love.

The weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God if he is willing to let go.

—OSWALD CHAMBERS (1874–1917), SCOTTISH BIBLE TEACHER, YMCA CHAPLAIN IN EGYPT