God remembered

Today, the reading covered a huge chunk of materials (1 Samuel 1:9-2:10). It covers the story of the birth of Samuel.
Hannah prayed to the Lord and vowed to dedicate her son to the Lord for life even before his conception (1 Samuel 1:11). A dedication meant a separation from the mundane world. Hannah's dedication was very much stronger than a temporary dedication, that of becoming a 'Nazarite'  mentioned in Numbers 6. In both cases, the hair on the head would not be shaved within the period of dedication/separation. For a Nazarite, he should shave his head at the end of this separation period and the hair would be burnt in the fire of peace offerings (Numbers 6:18). However, for Samuel, it means he would not shave for his whole life!
The birth of Samuel restored Hannah's honour once and for all. Didn't she need to care about security in her old age? Her action made it clear that security was not her major concern. For Hannah, she believed that God would take care of her. What she did was to make a vow and ask the Lord to remember her (1 Samuel 1:11). The Lord did remember her, answered her prayer and gave her a son (1 Samuel 1:19). Indeed, Hannah gave birth to 3 more sons and 2 more daughters in the future (1 Samuel 2:21). From her story, we should have confidence in God's providence and there is no need to calculate the costs of putting our faith in God.
The Psalter always sang praises to the faithfulness, the steadfast love of Yahweh (Psalm 89). New Testament writers also claimed that even "... if we are faithless, He remains faithful" (2 Timothy 2:13). So, unlike many of us who casually make promises to ward off annoying as well as inconvenient subordinates and forget as soon as the annoying person disappears, our God will never do this however insignificant we are.
In the Old Testament, the faithfulness of God is usually expressed as God remembered. For example, God remembered the following people: Noah (Genesis 8:1); Abraham (Genesis 19:29); Rachel (30:22); Samson (Judges 16:28), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19), Hezekiah (2 KIngs 20:5) etc. When they suffered and cried to God, the Lord remembered. How reassuring! We can boldly walk on His path and whatever setbacks we encounter, God will deliver us.
However, Samson's was a tragic story. Samson's mother was anonymous in book of Judges. All we know is that she was barren. She was instructed by an angel that a son would be born to her. This boy would be a Nazarite to God from birth (Judges 13:3-5). However, when boy Samson grew up, he went astray. Probably Samson was too strong to restrain and his parents did not raise him up, instruct him properly of the way of the Lord. Consequently Delilah, a money-loving woman, betrayed him. His eyes were gouged out and became a slave for the Philistines. Samson cried to God. God answered him but Samson had to pay for his follies with his own life. (Judges 16)
Consider a life dedicated to God. God calls many but not as many answer. Some, like me, are not courageous enough to commit. Some answer, but turn out not to be a successful venture, even a harmful one to His Church. Most likely, they have abandoned God and His grace along the way after the initial call. Their love of God fades. They have fallen victims to some Delilahs.

My God, rekindle my love for You. Make it glow until it bursts into flame to consume and purify me. Let its warmth and heat radiate to make this world a warmer place to live and to glorify You. Amen.