Given Over

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. 

1 Samuel 1:28.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. 

Luke 2:49-52

Gifts are best when given over to the Lord.

Every good gift comes from God (see James 1:17). He gives good gifts, like friendship and forgiveness. The people you love and who love you back. Wise teachers. Income, a home, clothing to wear, food to eat. The little fat folds on a baby’s ankles. The sweet old lady wearing purple tights on the bus who pats you on the back and tells you you’re beautiful on a day you feel anything but.

Giving over our good gifts is counter-intuitive and unnatural. After all, on Christmas we opened gifts and enjoyed them. Isn’t that the point? They were meant for us and they’re ours. We didn’t hand them back to the giver.

That is, unless you are a child who received a gift just a bit too complicated to figure out on your own. Maybe you received a gift so expensive, so intelligently made that you don’t quite know how to work it. How to make it function to the full capacity for which it was designed.

We spent a good hour helping our daughter learn how to use the Echo Dot we gave her this Christmas. She gave it a generous dose of effort before coming to us and handing it over, asking for help. 

Giving over our good gifts usually happens that way. We receive them with delight, and we tackle them with joy and fervor. Then we hit a snag, something doesn’t work the way we think it should, and we find ourselves Googling the user manual, calling the helpline, or hauling the computer to the store. Or falling on our knees asking for wisdom to parent a child, honor a parent, or lead a church. 

Good gifts come from God, and He has designed each one to function to its fullest, glorious capacity. He knows well how to help us enjoy what He hands us, wrapped with a shiny bow on top, our name emblazoned on the sparkling tag. Indeed, the good gift was meant for us, from One who loves us. But when the gift is given over, we learn just how good it really was meant to be.

Hannah knew this. She begged for her gift, the joy-present of a baby boy. And she promised if God would give her this gift, she’d hand it right back. So she did. My mother heart finds deep comfort in the words for his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. This giving-over is a life-long discipline for every parent. But when children are given over to the Lord, they blossom in the direction He intended. And so do their parents.

Mary also knew this as she watched in astonishment while her baby boy awed the teachers in the synagogue and gently rebuked her for forgetting to give Him over completely to the One who gave Him.

We can, like Hannah, purpose from even before we open the gift that we will give it back to the Giver. Or, like Mary, we can wait until fear and confusion strike. Either way, let’s give our good gifts to God this new year.

When gifts are given over to the Lord, they become more than we even hoped for. #trust Share on X

Let’s ask Him to show us their full capacity, the complete extent of His designed purpose for each one. Oh, what secrets He will share! On our own, how much we would miss.

Today, take a few moments with pen in hand and write down the good gifts you’ve received. Then bring each one to the Giver of Good Gifts and let Him show you just what they were made for.

Lord, I bring you the good gifts You have given me. I give them over to You today, and trust You to bring forth their purpose in full measure. Amen.

@audreycfrank