“FOR THIS CHILD I PRAYED” 1 Sam. 1:27
FBCF – 5/10/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – American Rifleman magazine cover article: “The Men & Guns of Iwo Jima.” Another article could be written & entitled, “The Women & Guns of Prayer” b/c I believe that the power of a mother’s prayer is arguably one of the most powerful forces on earth.
Many of us have had the blessing of having a praying mother in our lives & many of you women are powerful prayer warriors for your kids. I asked you to share some of your stories & was inundated w/ so many of your experiences:
- Bart: Family living in Seattle – his mom living in Alabama. He had just gotten an unexpected bill in the mail & didn’t have the $ to pay it. His mother called him & said that she had put a check in the mail for X amount of $. Said she’d been praying & felt led to send that amount of $. It was the EXACT amount they needed for that unexpected bill.
- Other stories from some of you about how your mom prayed through your times of rebellion, the times you were running away from Lord, the times when you were making decisions that had the potential to destroy your life. And your mom kept praying. And now, as one of you wrote, “Here I am now - inseparable from Him, raising MY kids in church, and leading women’s Bible study. Thanks to a faithful God and the steadfast prayers of my mama.”
- Both of my brothers & I have so many stories & experiences of our Mama praying for us in job situations, family struggles, worrisome situations w/ our kids, etc. At 82 yrs of age, she’s still one of our main prayer warriors. Regularly call her & when she answers the phone, I say, “Mama, I need you to pray about something.” “Ok. What is it?”
- Pastor friend: Childhood – tornado going over their home. Mother told him to get down on knees & pray for protection. That’s what they did. After tornado passed, she said, “That’s what happens when we humble ourselves & pray.”
- My own 3 children giving testimony of KNOWING that their Mama was & is always praying for them:
o Reese: “It’s always been kinda weirdly reassuring that I know she usually shoulders my burdens even more so than I do or than I want her to sometimes…It is always in the back of my mind that I know that I’m not the only one telling God about all the stuff my house is going through.”
o Russ: “I knew she was always praying for me…When I accepted my call to the ministry, she would always talk to me about it & pray for me while I was preaching…Ever since I started dating Emileigh, I knew that Mama was praying for us.”
o Rachel: “During our wait for Anderson & Cameron…She always told me after my miscarriage that when she passed my road going to work in the mornings, she’d start praying for us…[in school] she was praying not to strangle me when she was trying to help me w/ my math homework!”
And then some of you moms shared your stories w/ me of how YOU’VE prayed for your kids at different times & in different circumstances:
- Some of you have been through harrowing experiences w/critical, life-threatening situations w/ your children:
o Newborn daughter who battled meningitis & almost died, but is well & healthy today, & almost a year old.
o A 10-month old child who was diagnosed w/ a debilitating, crippling disease & not expected to ever walk, ever have children, or ever be potty-trained, but went on to be a healthy cheerleader, & will soon be a mom.
- And then to read how you moms are praying for your kids now:
o “I learned two years ago when I was saved there’s no greater love a mother can have for her children then to get up every morning and pray for them and their spouses and her grandchildren. I not only consider this a high priority but a privilege that God has given to me…I pray that no matter what that God’s will will be done in their lives.” (Christina Mangum)
o Allison wrote this in her Bible at Matt. 6:33 – “When you called me to be a mom, you didn’t ask for perfection, but that w/ every breath, I’d point them to you.”
o Rachel – her 1st Mother’s Day – “Sometimes I have to pray about trusting God w/ them as bad as that sounds, just b/c I worry already. And remembering that He gave us our kids & our job is to point them to Him, no matter what.”
EXPLANATION – Open Bibles to OT book of 1 Samuel. One verse – v. 27.
1 & 2 Samuel are 1 book in the Hebrew manuscript. Written to the people of God at a time when they desperately needed a word of hope. And, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that’s what the write did. Some of the ideas about God that surface & are emphasized are:
- He sovereignly reigns over all human concerns to accomplish His purposes.
- He always acts in the best interest of His people, whether He blesses, judges, or teaches.
- He always calls the right leaders for His work to move His plan along.
- He is always present w/ His people & never abandons them.
- He is a righteous God & expects His children to reflect His character.
- He is always at work in even the most minute details of history to work out His purpose for His children. (Kenneth L. Chafin, 1 & 2 Samuel, The Communicator’s Commentary, p. 17)
And that’s where we find a very unhappy woman in 1 Sam. 1. Her name is Hannah. Unhappy b/c of:
- Her childless condition – v. 2, 5
- Her rival’s cruelty – v. 6
- Her spiritual calamity – v. 7
And what do we see her doing in the midst of her unhappiness? We see her praying.
- Her prayer to God – In the midst of the heartache of being unable to have a child, she cried out to God.
o Jer. 33:3
- Her gift from God – She gave God the glory for the child that He gave to her.
o Ps. 127:3 – “Children are a gift from God; they are a reward from Him.”
- Her dedication to God – She made a vow – a solemn promise – to God, that if He would bless her w/ a child, she would give him back to the Lord.
o Not always easy to do, but always the right thing to do.
o Hudson Taylor’s mother, Amelia, when he sailed from Liverpool, Eng for China: “Hudson boarded the ship. Amelia walked along beside the vessel until it passed through the gate at the end of the dock. Suddenly a piercing cry of anguish escaped from her aching heart. Of that cry Hudson later said: “It went through me like a knife. I never knew so fully, until then, what ‘God so loved the world’ meant. And I am quite sure my precious mother learned more of the love of God for the perishing in that one hour than in all her life before.”
- Her life for God – “The 1st six chapters of 1 Sam focus on Samuel becoming a prophet, judge, & a leader of his people. This first chapter gives us many clue to his character, & we find them rooted in the piety of his parents, & especially in the faith & commitment of his mother, Hannah.” (Chafin, p. 33-34)
PRAYER WORKS! – The same God who heard & answered Hannah’s prayer will hear & answer yours! So…
KEEP PRAYING & DON’T STOP
- No matter how old they are
- They need you praying for them at every stage of their lives.
KEEP PRAYING & DON’T STOP
- No matter what’s going on in their lives
- Walking w/ the Lord – Rebelling against the Lord
- Prov. 22:6 – “Train up a child…”
o You have a responsibility as a parent
o You have influence as a parent
o You’ll have results – either good or bad – as a parent – “God has given us an incredible responsibility by placing children in our care. The family is a primary mechanism God uses to grows His kingdom and grow His people. As a result, it’s our duty to teach our children about God. We are in an influential position, and what we do today will matter in our kids’ lives tomorrow.” (https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/kids/what-does-it-mean-to-train-up-a-child-in-the-way-he-should-go.html)
KEEP PRAYING & DON’T STOP
- No matter whether or not you’re seeing obvious answers to your prayers
- The most foundational truth in prayer is that it is an act of faith.
o That means you keep praying when that child is still rebelling.
o You keep praying when that child is still sick
o You keep praying when that child is still failing
o You keep praying when that child is succeeding & excelling
o You keep praying when that child is still in that unhealthy relationship
CONCLUSION – Lysa Terkeurst: “…our best jobs as moms is to be obedient to God. God’s job is everything else.”
So DON’T STOP PRAYING!
