TOPIC:‌“Mothers Do Have a Mission”

                  by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌I Samuel 1:1-19

 

‌‌“For this child I prayed; and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him” (I Samuel 1:27)

 

‌I doubt if anyone would disagree with this statement: Mothers should be remembered at least once a year, respected every day of the year, and rewarded for all they mean to us and do for us. As Dr Peter Marshall, well-know Scottish preacher, in one of his sermons wrote: “Nothing that has ever been said, nothing that could be said or that ever will be said, would be eloquent enough, expressive enough, or adequate enough to articulate that peculiar emotion we feel to our mothers.”

 

‌It goes without saying that mothers have always had a mission to accomplish and a work to perform. Such was true in the life of Israel as a nation. There was now an urgent need for a strong man to lead the Jewish nation back to God. The priesthood office had fallen into disrepute and the prophetic office had become corrupt. God turned to a godly woman by the name of Hannah for help.

 

‌Hannah was blessed by God with a child whose name was Samuel. She made a robe for him to wear and once a year when she went up to the Temple Hannah brought it to him. Samuel became known by the robe that his mother had made for him. Now mothers are always making garments for their children in one way or another. The mission of every mother is to clothe her children in those spiritual garments of faith and righteousness. Let us trace this truth out in the life of Hannah.

 

I.

 

‌For one thing, Hannah had a PRAYER life that was POWERFUL. Hannah was an intercessor. She prayed before Samuel was born and she prayed after Samuel was born. We read in verse 10 of chapter 1 these words: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept bitterly.” And we read in verse 12 of this same chapter: “And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord.” And after the birth of Samuel we read these words in chapter 2 verse 1: "And Hannah prayed."

 

‌Here was a mother who recognized that her greatest ministry for her children was to pray for them. And what Hannah did every mother must do. They must pray earnestly, regularly and fervently for their children. Through prayer mothers and fathers can make the greatest impact on the lives of their children.

 

‌Now this is the kind of mother we need in our homes today. I grant you we have many different kinds of mothers - smart, beautiful, popular, religious, sophisticated, mothers who know how to hold their cocktails - but God is looking for mothers of prayer. Mothers . . .