A Mother's Prayers
Notes
Transcript
Open with reading the article in VOM magazine...
Consider the following quotes from those who understood prayer intimately…
Prayer is a time of refreshment. Howard Taylor says of his father, Hudson Taylor, “For forty years the sun never rose on China that God didn’t find him on his knees.”
—Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission
You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.
—John Bunyan
Be Determined 2. He Depended on Prayer
“To be a Christian without prayer,” said Martin Luther, “is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
Some of the most powerful prayers I have heard in my life have been the prayers from a mother’s heart.
Biblical Examples of Praying Mothers
Biblical Examples of Praying Mothers
Scripture gives us a glimpse into several mother’s hearts as they prayed
As we look at some passages briefly NOTICE their perspective of the one they pray to...
HANNAH 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is such an amazing passage where we see God answer Hannah's prayer for her son Samuel… Here prayer of gratitude shows her understanding of the ONE she prayed to…
Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. “There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. “Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed. “The bows of the mighty are shattered, But the feeble gird on strength. “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hunger. Even the barren gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes. “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. “The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. “He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them. “He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail. “Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
MARY praying after she discovered she would be mother to the Messiah Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. “He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed. “He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
EUNICE & LOUIS… Paul speaks of Timothy's Mother and Grandmother’s faith… and how it has impacted Timothy. No doubt this faith was lived out in prayer before God regularly! 2 Timothy 1:5 …
For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.
THE MOTHER… One of my favorite prayers of a mother in the scriptures is the mother of the son’s of Zebedee (sons of thunder) Look at her prayer in Matthew 20:20-24
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.
Characteristics
Boldness
Faith
Persistence
Reverence
Our Responsibility
Our Responsibility
Engage in Prayer… (DO IT!)
But HOW? Is the question, how do I get to the point where I pray like the examples we have seen. How to I declare like Martin Luther my necessity for prayer?
The Apostles wondered the same thing as they watched the very Son of God engage in prayer… Luke 11:1-4
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. ‘Give us each day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Nothing is more intimate than hearing from God (His Word) and talking to God (prayer)
Jesus’ life and ministry were encased in times of prayer… and His disciples saw this. In their observations they asked Him to teach them… This is not a prayer rather an example Luke 11:2-4
And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. ‘Give us each day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Father
STOP and remember who you are addressing!!!
an intimate relational address, Abba
supernatural authority and care for his people—‘Father
Jesus as the Son of God could be intimate… and He invites us to join into that intimacy
hallowed be Your name.
Holy, reverence before God
You address someone you know by name
to regard as holy, to honor as holy
Your kingdom come.
Keeping an eternal mindset in front of us
There should be more focus on the eternal as we pray for the present
It puts the current trial, joy, question in its proper light
‘Give us each day our daily bread.
Daily needs, God cares
‘And forgive us our sins,
Jesus does this at Calvary once for all, yet this is about fellowship relationship
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
we can only forgive with God’s help,
we recognize our own need for forgiveness first
Our inability to forgive others impacts our prayers and our fellowship with God
And lead us not into temptation.
God is the One who strengthens us in times of trials from falling into temptation.
Stay close to Him… Prayer reminds us of our need for Him
Jesus gives three illustrations on us approaching the Father in Prayer:
In a negative example, a human friend responds because of persistence, God will respond even greater to our needs and desires us to come to Him and is not annoyed
If a son ask for fish given a snake?
If a son ask for an egg, and is given a scorpion?
Jesus shows these examples of human relationships to show the greater more intimate one we have with our Heavenly Father who desires and wants what is good for His children. Luke 11:13
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
I believe God hears a mother’s prayers in a special way because they come from the heart to one who cares as she does. I believe we all need to learn to pray like this.
I have been challenged this week in my prayer life. As your pastor/shepherd I need to humble myself more and go to the Lord more often in prayer for you, for my family, for the lost
Do you have a mother who prays
Are you a praying mother
God works in powerful ways through prayer… BECAUSE IT CHANGES US FIRST!