Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
May 8, 1983
Mother's Day - The Godly Mother Hannah
1 Samuel 1:10-28, NIV
This is a special Mother's Day for Celeste and me because six weeks ago Rebecca was born. Since then, I've seen that motherhood is less glamour and more work than some would have you think. Motherhood is made up of little ordinary activities that don't seem to be of much importance but the results of these activities have caused the rise and fall of nations. Napoleon once said, "Let France have good mothers and she will have good sons." Today, more than ever, we need mothers of character, mothers who will nurture their children in the ways of God. The successful mother is the key to a successful home, nation and church.
Several years ago, a nationwide survey was conducted by the University of Michigan. Thousands of girls between the ages of eleven and eighteen were questioned about their personal and social interests. When asked what they would like to do when they grew up, eighty percent of the girls said that someday they wanted to be just like their mother. It has been said that no other force in the life of the child is as strong an influence as is his mother. This year, as each year, a special day has been officially designated Mother's Day, the day we honor America's fifty million mothers.
Down through the centuries the mother has been a stabilizing factor in the shaping of history. "The future destiny of the child," said Napoleon, "is always the work of the mother." Theodore Roosevelt put it this way: "The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman, businessman, artist or scientist."
Many famous people have been greatly influenced by their mothers. George Washington's mother was a patriotic and religious woman. She was to see her son become the father of our country. The mother of Patrick Henry was known for her remarkable conversational ability. Sir Walter Scott's mother was a great lover of poetry and literature. Susanna Wesley was a great Christian mother. Despite the fact she had nineteen children, she found time to give each child an hour of religious instruction each week. She taught her children to love God and honor the Bible. One of her sons, Charles Wesley, became one of the greatest hymn writers in Christianity. Another son, John Wesley, became the founder of Methodism.
In each of these examples, some of the prominent traits of the mother were passed on to the child. After becoming president, Abraham Lincoln said, "All that I am, or can become, I owe to my angel mother."
Unfortunately, a mother can also influence her children in a bad way. The Roman emperor Nero's mother was greedy, lustful and a murderer. He was like her in every way. An older mother once tried to explain to a minister why her son's marriage had failed and he had committed suicide. "Pastor", she said, "our home was a broken home and the old saying is true: there are few unbroken eggs in a broken nest."
Now more than ever our nation needs caring, loving mothers. At one time motherhood, the American flag and apple pie were three things known for their stability and national appeal. Today, however, the price of apples has inflated, the flag is at times mistreated and even motherhood is abused.
Many people have the idea that if a woman's highest goal is to be a mother, she is a failure in life. The new attitude is that woman must launch a successful career and then, maybe, have a family later in life. I am not against a woman having a career. Many of them must. I am not even against a woman waiting to have children. But I am against the attitude that motherhood by itself is a nuisance or a waste of time.
There are so many pressures on children these days that they need all the love and direction they can get. They need a mother to point them in the right way. Half the crime that occurs in this nation is caused by those under the age of eighteen. Hundreds of thousands of young people have turned to alcohol and drugs to find direction, only to have these substances rule their lives.
Fortunately there are many women who want to be good mothers and work hard at it. I know of a young couple in Massachusetts who wanted to have children very badly but they couldn't. The husband was a car mechanic and didn't make much money but they decided to become foster parents. They took in three children who had been terribly abused. At first they wouldn't even speak but as the young mother showered love on them and taught them about Jesus, they began to open up. They're now the loudest and happiest children on the block. Being a mother is not just about bringing children into the world - it is also about loving them.
One of the best examples of a mother in the Bible is Hannah. She lived in a day when the nation of Israel was in a deplorable state. The condition of that time closely resembles the corrupt society of today. The nation's leaders had failed. Gideon and Samson were nothing more than memories. Patriotism had vanished and ideals were low. A spiritual revival was desperately needed and God chose an obscure woman to bring it about.
For years Hannah had prayed for a son but nothing happened. Children were doubly important to the Israelites because they were the Social Security system of that time. The Scriptures tell us that she was deeply disturbed. As it says in 1 Samuel 1:10:
"In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD."
As God listened to that prayer, he seemed to say, "I have found a concerned mother, and now I shall have a dedicated servant." Hannah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord heard her prayer. She was just a simple woman, she was not educated, her clothing was plain and yet God heard her prayers.
I would encourage every Christian mother to be a praying mother. Your prayer life is the foundation of a Godly home. Hannah knew this and she promised God that if he would bless her with a child, she would give him back to God. She would train him in the way of the Lord. Turn to Deuteronomy 6:7. Moses said, concerning the Scriptures:
"Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
Morning, noon or night, Moses says "teach God's Word."
A minister tells the story of a young mother who would sit with her baby cradled in one arm and a Bible opened in the other. One day a friend asked her, "Are you reading the Bible to your baby?" The mother replied, "Yes." The visitor said, "You don't think he understands it, do you?" "No," said the mother, "he doesn't understand it now but I want his earliest memory to be that of seeing and hearing God's word." The Sunday school will train children, the church will provide Christian nurture but nothing can take the place of the home in providing spiritual leadership.
When Hannah was praying for a son she had made a vow to God. Within a few short years, the time came for her to give Samuel back to God. She traveled to Shiloh and left Samuel at the tabernacle, just as she had promised. Samuel became a servant of God for the rest of his life. In 1 Samuel 1:28 Hannah's words were:
"So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD."
Samuel was dedicated to God because his mother had dedicated herself first.
Many men and women today are born-again Christians because they had a mother who gave them to God. Augustine, who lived around A.D. 400 and was a great theologian of the church, had a mother who devoted her life to his Christian upbringing and his conversion to Christ. In his early years it looked like it had been a waste of her time. Augustine lived in sin and immorality and actively rebelled against God. But one day he was brought to his senses - he remembered his praying mother and repented of his sins. He was born again and became a great defender of the Christian faith.
Perhaps you had a Christian mother who prayed for you. She prayed for many years but you have not yet surrendered to God. You have refused to yield your life to Jesus Christ.
Why don't you receive Christ today?
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Typed on March 14, 2006, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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