A Mother's Faith

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A Mother’s Faith

Today is a day we honor and celebrate mothers, and we should! We would not be here if it were not for our moms.
Proverbs 31:28–29 NLT
28 Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
I want to use these two verses as a reminder. Not to remind our mothers, but to remind the rest of us. That is how we should be treating our mothers daily. Be sure your mom knows how blessed you are by her and what a blessing she is, not just today but everyday. Husbands be sure she knows everyday that she is the only one and just how much she is a blessing to you. Many women today do not receive the praise and devotion that they need and deserve.
I know that Mother’s Day is a difficult time for some of us.
Maybe you want to be a mother but you can’t be for some reason
Perhaps some of you have not had the best mother in the world
Some of us have mothers who have died
Some of you mothers have lost a child
Some of you mothers feel the pain of a wayward child this morning
And, some of you are flying solo as you work hard to care for your kids.
God wants you to know, by His Word, how important and valued you are this morning.
Maybe you are a birth mom, a step-mom, an adoptive mom, a foster mom, an aunt who has taken on the role of a mom, or a grandmother who finds herself filling the role of a mom again. Maybe you find yourself in the role of a spiritual mother this morning. Scripture is clear on how important you are to Kingdom building.
You may feel alone at times, but you are not. You are a daughter of God. Brothers in Christ, it may do us well to remember that whether she is your mom, wife, or girlfriend, or a sister in Christ, she is first and foremost a daughter of the Most High God.
Let’s look at what I believe to be one of the most beautiful prayers from a mother in the Bible. It is when Hanna is praying for a son. Now, Hannah was unable to have children. The Biblical account tells us that her husband, Elkanah, had two wives; Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah was able to have children and would make fun of Hannah for not being able to have children. This went on for years.
1 Samuel 1:9–11 NLT
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
Hannah’s heart was crushed. She is begging the LORD for a son. She is in deep reverent prayer. Hannah makes a promise to God; she will give her son back to God. By promising to not cut his hair was fulfilling a Nazarite vow. It was a special vow of separation to the LORD. She was promising to raise him in the LORD.
Hannah ended up having a son who we know as Samuel. Samuel would go on to be a prophet of the LORD, one of the final judges over Israel, and an anointer of Kings.
How many of us had moms that prayed for and loved us? Through tears, through hurts, and rejoiced with us? Here with us and online today, how many mothers have prayed for their children? For other children who are not there own? Sisters, your prayers do not fall on deaf ears. God hears you and he loves you this morning. Mothers should influence with prayer, like Hannah. Hannah was so deep in prayer and communion with God that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk! God heard her prayers and He hears your prayers this morning.
I have prayed with my own wife over our children, I have prayed with several mothers in the church over their children, and there is something that remains the same in those prayers. Selflessness. To her, It does not matter how much she is suffering, or how much emotional hurt she is feeling, or even the physical pain the she is in; those prayers focused on the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of her children. That is a reflection of the love of Christ.
Mothers, I want to encourage you this morning. You are amazing. I need you to remember; there is a limit to what you can do for your children. You do not have a magic wand. You care for them, you love them, you nurture them, you pray for and with them, and you help guide them. You must be willing to give them to God. You will always be their mom, but God is their Heavenly Father. God knows the love you feel as a mother this morning. Recall what Jesus said as he grieved over Jerusalem before he entered for Passover.
Matthew 23:37 NLT
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
God loves His children, yet we all wander at times. Notice that Jesus chose to illustrate God’s love with the love of a mother. A self sacrificing and protective love. The same kind of love that Jesus has for each of us this morning. Similar to the love of Christ, a mothers love is a powerful force. Even the Greek word “agapeo,” which is the highest form of love (Godly/self-sacrificing), comes from the feminine part of speech and is always associated with God’s love and often associated with a mothers love.
Now I love my kids, but as a dad it looks a little different at times. I am not sure how many men will agree with me but if one of my kids hurts or disrespects their mom, I go to def-con 1. LOOK OUT! She is the one that has to reel me back in! Even through her own hurt. Your love as a mother touches those around you, not just your children.
I think one of the hardest things for moms is, as our kids get older, you have to learn to let them go. You want to be the mother hen, to protect them, just like God does. When I say letting go, I don't mean that you are not there for them or that you do not love them or pray for them. I mean you have to let them grow up, make their own mistakes and experience their successes. If you are hearing my words this morning, for most of us, we will always be our moms little chicks. Nothing will change that.
Mothers are not perfect yet there is an unfair expectation placed on them to be perfect at times. Sisters, do not place yourselves or allow others to make you feel like a failure or that you are not good enough. If you are struggling in an area of your life, bring it to the LORD of Heavens Armies who will hear you and move on your behalf. He will walk you though the trials and celebrate with you in victory!
Mothers, you have influence through your faith, through your prayer, through your devotion, and through your actions. Your children learn from you, your husbands learn from you, and others around you are impacted by your faith. Look what Jesus said when his brothers and mother came to see him;
Matthew 12:46–50 NLT
46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.” 48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
Jesus was not downgrading human family, he was showing the superiority of a Spiritual family. His mother would fill the role of a spiritual mother and John would fill the role of a spiritual son. Commitment to Jesus and His cause is a higher loyalty than familial loyalty.
Jesus was not being disrespectful to Mary. He made sure she was to be taken care of from the cross. This was Jesus’ third utterance from the cross.
John 19:26–27 NLT
26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.
Sisters in Christ. Our Lord and Savior is telling you that whether you have birth children or not, you are called to a divine purpose. In the family of God, you are going to be called to fill a Spiritual mothers role at times for your children and for others.
Throughout my walk I have been blessed to have many sisters in Christ fill the role of a Spiritual mother at times. Some of those conversations started with something like this; “Do I look like your mother? Well, I am going to tell you this anyway!” “I’m not your mother but...” What followed would be some kind of conversation that is meant to be loving and tender advice or observations that usually contained some truth. All meant to help me, not hurt me.
If you have hard feelings or unforgiveness towards a mother this morning, know that more often than not, she has done or is doing the best she can with what she has. I would challenge you to be honest with yourself and ask how you may have contributed to the situation. Ask if you are holding onto something out of ego, pride, or anger. These things lead to a root of bitterness and do not show His grace. Now is the time for healing and forgiveness.
Now more than ever our Mothers, need to be built up, loved, and shown that they are truly important. Mom’s, your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. Jesus knows the tears you shed when no one else sees. He knows when your heart breaks and he knows when your heart rejoices. He is right there with you through all of it. Your faith not only touches those around you, your faith touches the lives of the generations that follow you. Because of your faith, many others know Jesus and you walk in victory with Him!
To honor our Mothers and those who have filled the role of a mother, we have small tokens of our appreciation for you this morning. We would ask that if you are a mother, an aunt, a sister, a step-mom, foster mom, a spiritual mom, or have ever filled the role of a mother in your life that you come up and receive a gift. God Bless you this morning.
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