Praying Mothers
by Sandra Moats
Praying mothers can impact history through their children. Mothers
who pray for their children can sometimes change the course of
history. It has been said, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules
the world”. Praying mothers are trained warriors in God’s army.
They can bring their children to Heaven’s doors with their
prayers. They rise up with the Sword of the Spirit in prayer
using it to wield disabling blows to the enemy. Praying mothers
never give up on praying for their children. Lu 11:9,10; 18:1-8.
The praying mother Monica, also known as Monica of Hippo,
was born in 331AD. She was mother to three children and lived with
a man who was not nice. She taught her children about Jesus
Christ. Her prayers had a strong influence upon her son Augustine.
Augustine was a strong willed boy who found his way into many
difficult situations. When he would not listen to his mother she
prayed and wept before God for him. In Augustine’s autobiography
he wrote about his mother, “ She is a mother who wept to God for
me, shedding more tears for my spiritual death than other mothers
shed for the bodily death of a son.” Once Monica brought her
concerns to a Christian bishop, Ambrose, who assured her, “It
cannot be that the son of these tears should be lost.” Augustine
became one of the most important Christian fathers in Western
Christianity.
Charles Spurgeon wrote about his praying mother, “I cannot
tell you how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother. Spurgeon
went from a young boy to a “Prince of Preachers”. Spurgeon quoted
he and his mother’s coversation,“Ah, Charles! I often prayed the
Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might
become a Baptist. ”He responded with, “Ah, mother! The Lord has
answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you
exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought.”
Susannah Wesley was a praying mother. She raised 10
children, yet she found time to pray for 2 hours every day. Her
husband was often absent and sometimes difficult to live with, and
sometimes they didn’t live together. She filled their home with
the Word of God and prayer. Susannah was famous for her prayer
apron. She had so many children she couldn’t get away to pray so
she would pull up her apron over her head and pray. She instructed
her children when they saw her with her apron over her head they
were not to distrub her. Her son John Wesley preached to nearly a
million people in his time. Another son Charles Wesley wrote over
9000 hymns. Her prayers touched the whole world.
Hannah, the mother of the great Prophet Samuel was a
praying mother. She had no children and desperately wanted to have
a child. She prayed earnestly that God would give her a son, and
promised that she would give that son back to God for His purposes
God answered Hannah’s prayer and she conceived Samuel. She
fulfilled her vow to the Lord and Samuel was taken to the temple,
and entrusted to the priest Eli for care and training. Hannah did
not forget Samuel, but prayed for him and made him a new coat
every year. I Sa 2:9. Because of her obedience, and sacrifice in
releasing Samuel, he became the most famous prophet in Israel’s
history. I Sa 1:10,11.
Sometimes as kids grow up they get into situations that
require more intense prayers. We have a song we love to sing. It
is called “God’s got an army”. The course goes like this:
“God’s got an army marching through the land
Deliverance is their song, there’s healing in their hand
There’s everlasting joy and gladness in their heart
And in this army I’ve got a part.
Praying mothers are trained warriors in God’s army. A Mama
bear cannot hold a candle to a praying mother whose child has been
attacked by Satan. She will whip out her Bible, which is the Sword
of the Spirit, and wield the Word of God to defeat the enemy.
Praying mothers are known to have knee calouses and bent backs as
they labor in prayer for their children. Praying mothers have no
fear in the battle. They run to the battle and continue to fight
until victory comes in their child’s life. They are fearless and
fierce warriors!
When our son Nathan was out somewhere in the world other
than God’s realm he was attacked by the enemy. I remember the day
he called to tell me he had been diganosed with ALS. I was the
Mama bear who was going to take on the enemy who had dared to
touch my son. Ralph and I went to be with him and when we walked
in the first thing Nathan said to me was, “Mom, I know God has
allowed this to bring me back to Him. I wanted to get back, but I
couldn’t make it”.
That began a battle like none other I had fought. I went
to the Word of God and dug up Scriptures to pray for his healing
and restoration. As we walked through the next two years my mother
prayers for him were two fold. The main goal being for his
restoration with God and concern for his physical healing. My
mother’s prayers for his restoration were answered, and I was able
to walk to Heaven’s doors with him. But his physical healing
happened when God opened the door to Heaven and Nathan entered in.
George Washington, also known as the Father of our
Country, changed the course of American history for God’s Glory.
George’s dad died when he was 10 years old. His mother, Mary
Washington, raised her children as a single mother. Her favorite
place to pray was a nearby rock outside of her house. After George
went to war he wrote letters to his mother testifying of miracles
that spared his life. He escaped death when bullets went through
his coat and horses were shot out from under him. He honored his
mother’s prayers when he said, “All that I am I owe to my mother.”
He knew his mother was praying for him and he influenced our
nation.
Abraham Lincoln once said: “I remember my mother’s
prayers, and they have followed me; they have clung to me all my
life. All that I am and hope to be I owe to my angel mother.”
Billy Graham, sometimes considered to be the modern day
Moses, led nearly 3 million people to Jesus Christ. He preached to
more than 80 million people during his lifetime. He made the
statement, “Out of all the people I have ever known, my mother had
the greatest influence on my life. She prayed for Billy every
morning at 10 AM.
No matter how bleak things may seem concerning your
children never doubt what God can do in the situation. Our enemy,
the devil, is like a roaring lion seeking to devour every soul,
especially children before they can bloom. Praying moms must never
stop praying! 1 Pe 5:8-9. Remember a solider does not quit the
army when the battle is fierce and Mothers are warriors in God’s
army!
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