As established in my last post, it is important as mothers, not just to say we pray for our children, but to know how to correctly pray for them. I advocated that we 1. Pray continuously, and offensively. That is praying before something happens and not just when something happens. 2. That we see our children in the light of who they really are according to the word of God and whose they are which will make a big difference in our prayers.
Today I want to divert our attention to Mothers. First of all I want us to think of the word mother as more of a functional word rather than a mere title. As I look through the scriptures I have come to realize how very special mothers are to God. To fully illustrate this let us look at Isaiah 66:13.
The King James Version reads “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
Israel had fallen into apostasy, and Isaiah prophesied about their captivity and also about their redemption and restoration. In chapters 58-66:24, Isaiah talks of Israel finding comfort in their future glory. For them to fully understand the depth of this comfort he likens it that the comfort that a mother gives to her child. This is so awesome to know that God thinks so highly of the capability of a mother to comfort her children. The word mother is translated as bond like “the bond in the family” The word comforted is translated as “to console or to pity”
Mothers we are the bond that keeps our family intact. We also have the ability to console our family in whatever situation that they may find themselves. You are able to do something that God holds as a standard for Israel when they needed to get the depth of God’s love and concern for them.
Let us look also at Isaiah 49:15
It reads: Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Woman: female
Sucking child here means a babe/baby.
Compassion: to love, (to find, have, obtain, or show) mercy, to have pity
Womb: the belly, also the bosom or body of anything
On the other hand God is saying can a female forget about her baby and not show love, mercy and pity to someone that came from her belly? As hard as this is to happen, there is a possibility that they may but I will not forget you Israel. Again God hold up a standard of love but he also shows that as high as a mother’s standard of love and compassion is, His love and compassion is greater.
Are you starting to see how highly God things about mothers? Here is another verse that I want to share with you:
John 19:26-27
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Jesus thought so highly of his own mother that even at the time of his death He forgot about what He was going through to focus on his mother and his disciple John. I believe that Jesus knowing the capacity of love, compassion and care that he had experienced from his mother, wanted this to extend to his beloved disciple John as well as making John aware of the need to be to her the son that He Jesus was to her.
Let us look at other aspects of a Mother.
I believe most of us have heard of the proverbs 31 woman, a mother, wife and friend. I would like for us to look at verse 15
Proverbs 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. (KJV)
So many times you feel like pulling the covers up and going back to sleep, but this is how special you are. You delay going to sleep or you resist the temptation to stay in bed and you get up trying to get a jumpstart on the day, packing lunches, doing the wash, cleaning, paying bills or praying. Can you relate?
Let us look also at:
Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
It would appear that this verse is excluding the mother from feeling happy about her wise son or that the father is not concerned about his son who may act foolish. However I do believe that both parents are affected. I also believe that the heaviness that it brings to the mother is showing the depth of emotion that she is capable of feeling as in herself she is the one who was responsible for the nurturing of the children. She is the foundation institution and teacher of her children.
Mothers have a unique connection with their children. This unique connection started at conception and as much as fathers can love and care, that period of time being housed or nestled in the womb gives mother a nine month advantage to start the bonding process. Who then is better able to pray for our children than we do?
I am a mother of two grown children, and I can think of so many instances when I may be talking with them on the phone and can tell that something is wrong. My husband has learned to just agree with me now, because he realizes that I have been correct 99% of the time.
So Let us pray: Father I thank you for how much I mean to you and the trust that you have in me to care for this child (or children) you entrusted to me. Please help me to function in the role as a mother and not just wear the name as a title. I thank you for the capacity of love and mercy that I have within me to love and forgive the things that they may have done that may have caused me hurt, and at the same time I thank you for the ability to come to their aid when they need consolation and pity. Thank you for the strength to get up at odd times to make the necessary provision for them. Help me to teach them with such diligence that their success will bring gladness to my heart. But if at any time they become foolish by not adhering to what they have taught, help me to know that they will eventually return to it. In Jesus name Amen.
