Purpose Study Bible 364: Follow-Througjh

I heard a pastor say once that in times of peace God will collect on the promises you made in times of war. In other words, when you make a commitment during difficult times about what you will do when things are better, God is listening and expects you to fulfill your vows. This is exactly what Hannah did:

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:24).

Hannah had given her son to the Lord when she was in agony over her barren state, and now it was time to make good on her vow. She did so and left her small child in the care of the man of God who had once misjudged her anguish for drunkenness. Now that's following through on a vow!

In the previous study, we saw that Hannah gave Samuel to the Lord before she even had him. Now we see the next step: when God gave her what she had asked for, she did what she said she would do. That's an important purpose lesson. Purpose isn't only about discovering what God wants you to do. At some point, you have to act on what you already know.

What promises have you made to God, others, or yourself concerning your purpose? Have you kept them? If you said you would go wherever God wants, have you gone? If you promised to work with a certain group of people with a particular need, are you doing it? If you said you would write your story, have you started writing? What commitment have you made that is now waiting for you to act?

God is preparing you to bear fruit through service to others, but preparation must eventually lead to action. Hannah gave all she had before she had it, and then when the time came, she did what she said she would do. Purpose requires that same kind of follow-through. Don't keep asking God what He wants you to do if He has already shown you something you haven't done. Keep your commitments, take the next step, and trust Him with the results.