Mother’s Day serves as the perfect time to appreciate moms and reflect on their contribution to the family unit, their communities, and ultimately the world. Every mom has a story and a lesson she can teach. So as we approach this special day I want to share five lessons we can learn from these five amazing moms in the Bible.
Hannah: Diligence in Prayer
So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” - 1 Samuel 1:20
The first mom I want to introduce you to is Hannah. Hannah desperately wanted a child however, she struggled with infertility. Year after year went by with no child for Hannah. One day Hannah had enough. She cried out to the Lord in anguish for a child. The Lord answered Hannah's prayer and blessed her with her first son. She named him Samuel which sounds like the Hebrew word for "heard by God" (1 Samuel 1:20).
Have you ever been in Hannah’s situation; crying out to the Lord for your child and fervently praying on their behalf? Maybe they are in trouble. Maybe they are facing a challenge out of their control. Maybe they just need a little motivation in school. Whatever the cry we learn from Hannah that the Lord has not forgotten our prayers to Him on behalf of our children. Our crying out, our fervent prayer, and seeking the Lord will never go in vain.
When we find ourselves waiting on God to move in our child's lives may we keep seeking Him like Hannah, fully trusting that He sees and hears us. Prayer is truly the most powerful tool a mother can use.
Mary: Overcoming Fear with Faith
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. - Luke 1:38
We simply can’t talk about moms in the Bible without talking about Mary, Jesus’s mother. When the angel of the Lord appeared to her to tell her she would birth the Messiah, she was afraid and understandably so. She was only a teenager and she was about to get married. Becoming pregnant was probably not on her wedding planning to-do list. However, what would be an inconvenience to Mary would be salvation to the world.
Despite her fear she accepted God’s call on her life. And as many of you moms know, the call to motherhood is frightening. There is no school, or book, or YouTube video that will fully prepare you for motherhood. But if we are called by God, like Mary, we can overcome any fear with faith in our faithful God. He will provide all that we need and He will never leave our side.
Elizabeth: Trust in the Wait
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” - Luke 1:25
Next I want to share a lesson with you from Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth. It was in Elizabeth’s old age that she birthed John the Baptist who would pave the way for Mary's Son Jesus. It would appear that Mary's Son came early and Elizabeth’s son came late since Mary was so young and Elizabeth was older in age. But as we see the coming of Jesus unfold in the lives of these two women we realize that everything happened at the right time. All this was in God’s plan.
Motherhood is full of surprises. However, we can rest assured that nothing is a surprise to God. God knows where you are in this season and exactly what you are going through. He is ordering your steps, even when motherhood is uncomfortable. Although things may not always make sense we can trust in God's perfect plan.
Jochebed: Bravery in Unimaginable Circumstances
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. - Exodus 2:3 NIV
Sometimes motherhood looks a lot like holding on. Other times it's letting go. In the times we need to let go it is so important that we trust the Lord with our children. No one knows this truth more than Moses' mom, Jochebed. She was an Israelite women living in slavery. At the time the Egyptian King ordered that all Israelite boys were to be killed as a ruthless form of population control. When Jochebed could no longer hide her son she placed him in the Nile river in hopes to save his life. And that’s exactly what happened.
The king’s daughter found Moses and raised him as her own. Jochebed successfully saved her son's life not knowing this was all in God’s plan. God used Moses to free the Israelites from slavery. It was in Jochebed’s letting go that propelled her son into His calling and saved an entire generation of Israelites from slavery.
Many times we think holding on is the best thing for our children. However, sometimes the best thing we can do is let them go while trusting that God will take care of them. We can find peace in understanding that God loves our children more than we do. It is in letting go that we release our children into the destiny God has for their lives.
The Widow of Zarephath: Obedience When it Hurts
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. – 1 Kings 17:15-16
Just as a widow was preparing her last meal to eat for herself and her son she is met by the prophet Elijah. He asks for the last of her water and food. She tells Elijah that she does not have enough. She has suffered a severe drought in the land and is now making preparations to die. Can you imagine her despair, especially as a mom. Not having enough to take care of herself and her son. She had to face the reality she just did not have enough to provide for her family.
If there was ever a mom who understands what it’s like to not have enough it’s the widow of Zarephath. Although our individual circumstances are not as serious as hers we can all relate to feeling like we don’t have enough. Not enough patience, time, money, energy, help, you name it. Motherhood has a special way of draining all we have to give and then ask for more.
When the widow of Zarephath had nothing left to give here comes Elijah asking for more. He tells her to give him what little she has and promises that the Lord will provide all her needs through this drought. She does as Elijah asks and guess what? God was faithful to His word! That day she did not eat her last meal but planted a seed of faith that would open an opportunity for more meals to come.
We learn that although as moms we often feel we don’t have much to give, when we give our little to God is His faithful to provide all our needs. God can do so much more with our little than we can do with a lot.
Now I want to hear from you. Please comment and let me know which Bible mom encouraged you the most?
Image Credit: Thinkstock.com
