Mothers – God’s History Makers

“An old Spanish proverb reads: ‘An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.’ ” – Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations 

We live in a generation – as the Scripture describes – that curses their fathers and does not bless their mothers (Proverbs 30:11). Thanks to the NOW – National Organization for Woman – and other various and sundry feminist groups, the title and profession of “Mother” has been belittled
and desecrated. Their attitude is diametrically opposed to the Biblical concept of Motherhood. As we will see throughout this message, God holds Mothers in high esteem and expects all to do the same.  

I believe that everyone would have to agree that a Mother plays a very important role in each child’s life. Because they normally spend much more time with the children – in their early and impressionable years – than the Fathers do, they have so much more influence on them in shaping them for the future – whether for good or for evil.  

The Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations offers
us some applicable quotes illustrating this point –

“‘A
good mother,’ it has been remarked, ‘is worth a hundred
schoolmasters.'” 

“Thomas
Edison was considered to be a dull scholar, but later in life he
confessed, ‘My mother was sure of me: I could not fail.’
” 

“When
Napoleon, alarmed at the moral degeneracy of his day and the
frightful economic conditions, was asked, ‘What does France need
most?’ he answered, ‘Mothers.’ ” 

“Napoleon
the Great once said, ‘My opinion is that the future good or bad
conduct of a child depends entirely on the mother.’ The pages of
history and biography furnish countless proofs of this. Who, for
example, is surprised that Lord Byron of England, that brilliant
genius, led a dissolute life that brought him to the grave at age
36, when we know that his mother was a vain, violent, revengeful
woman, so devoid of sympathy as to jest at the child’s natural
infirmity? On the other hand, recall Hannah’s strength of character,
and you have the secret of her son Samuel’s
life?” 

No
doubt about it! Motherhood is a noble calling of God, which Satan
hates – especially when it is carried out in the way of
righteousness.  

It’s
no wonder that he opposes it in the world that we live in, for
it is the Mother who reinforces the instruction of the Father as Law
to the children – “My son,
hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy
mother”
(Proverbs 1:8). Because she is generally with her
little ones throughout the day, she is constantly
defining for  them what is right and wrong in each
situation that they face or encounter.

In
Proverbs 31:1, King Solomon referred to the
“prophecy” that his
Mother taught him. It’s the duty of every Mother to teach her
children the good that they must do and the evil that they must
avoid at all costs. What a golden opportunity that she has to mold
and fashion her little ones’ minds so that they will become all
that God designs for them to be.  

A Good
Mother is a disciplinarian. She is after one thing and one thing
alone in her children, and that is Foolishness.

Proverbs
29:15 tells us that “…a child
left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Therefore,
she is going to try her utmost to restrict and restrain her babies
and teach them not to follow their own inclinations. She will not
pamper nor indulge them, but discipline them – knowing
that if she fails in this area, these same children will bring her
future reproach and shame.

Proverbs
15:20 says – It is a “foolish
man” which
“despiseth
his mother.”

Proverbs
10:1 adds – It is a “foolish
son” which is
“the
heaviness of his mother.”  

Raising a
“foolish” son or
daughter causes her much sorrow and the deepest of grief.
Therefore, she will do all that is within the dictates of the Holy
Bible to drive out any foolishness out of her children.

Even
though she may be stern at times and very restrictive, her
children will rise up and bless her some day. Mixed with the
strictness will always be the
tenderness, gentleness, mildness, and sacrificial
love, which she will continuously demonstrate to her own.

This
is so aptly portrayed in the beautiful Scriptures found in the book
of the Prophet Isaiah – 

Isaiah
49:15 says – “Can a woman
forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the
son of her womb?”

Isaiah
66:13 adds – “As one
whom his mother comforteth…”

The love of a Mother for her baby is the
strongest attachment in the entire world. She nourishes and
loves this little one because he or she is a part of her own being.
She feels great compassion and tenderness and cannot part from
her child – especially when she is nursing him or her
– for her own breasts remind her of her obligation to supply
nourishment for her own.   

Oh,
yes! Motherhood is a noble calling from God.

Every
Mother is called of God to be His History Maker.

The
moment her baby is born, the Lord deposits in her being a power
unlike any other. It’s called Influence. She has the God-given
power to effect her children for great good and to become all
that He designed for them to be.  

The
Prophet Ezekiel referred to an ancient proverb – known and accepted
among God’s people – which typified a Mother’s Great Power
over her own through her words, actions, and attitude –
“…As is
the mother, so is her daughter” (Ezekiel
16:44).  

The
world may deny the Prestige of Motherhood. But we know that the
devil wouldn’t fight it if it were not so.

The
Bible repeatedly demonstrates for us this concept of Power and
Influence coming from the Mother – especially in the books of
1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles
where it gives the accounts of the kings of Israel and
Judah respectively. Interestingly enough, after each
introduction of the king, there follows a statement telling us
– as the particular readers – who the Mother of the
king was.  

Read the
following examples with awe and amazement –

2
Chronicles 12:13; 1 Kings 14:21 – “…Rehoboam
was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
seventeen years in Jerusalem…And his mother’s name was Naamah an
Ammonitess.” 

2
Chronicles 13:1-2 – “…began
Abijah to reign over Judah. He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His
mother’s name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of
Gibeah…” 

2
Chronicles 20:31; 1 Kings 22:42 – “And
Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old
when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in
Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.”

2
Chronicles 22:2; 2 Kings 8:26 – “Forty and
two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one
year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter
of Omri.” 

2
Chronicles 24:1; 2 Kings 12:1 – “Joash was
seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years
in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of
Beersheba.” 

2
Chronicles 25:1; 2 Kings 14:2 – “Amaziah was
twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was
Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.”  

2
Chronicles 26:3; 2 Kings 15:2 – “Sixteen
years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty
and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of
Jerusalem.” 

2
Chronicles 27:1; 2 Kings 15:33 – “Jotham was
twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned  sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was
Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.” 

2
Chronicles 29:1; 2 Kings 18:2 – “Hezekiah
began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned
nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was
Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.”  

2
Kings 21:1 – “Manasseh
was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty
and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah.”

2
Kings 21:19 – “Amon was
twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned  two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was
Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of
Jotbah.” 

2
Kings 22:1 – “Josiah was
eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and
one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the
daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.”

2
Kings 23:31 – “Jehoahaz
was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was
Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.”

2
Kings 23:36 – “Jehoiakim
was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the
daughter of Pedaiah of Ramah.”

2 Kings
24:8 –
“Jehoiachin
was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nahushta, the
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.”  

What
is absolutely remarkable is that in many of the accounts of the
kings of Judah and Israel, after naming the Mother of the particular
king, the Holy Spirit followed the account with one of the
following statements –  

“And he did
that which was evil in the sight of the Lord” or
“And he did
that which was right in the sight of the Lord.”

Coincidence?
I don’t think so! I believe that the Lord wanted to get a message
across to us through the Holy Scriptures that Mothers are His
History Makers!

Mothers,
it’s time like never before to take your stations in life and obey
the Word of the Lord to you on behalf of your
children!  

I pray
that you will never see your position in a demeaning way ever
again. On the contrary, I pray that the gravity and soberness of
your calling will overtake you, and that you will seriously
arise and take your place in your home as God’s History Maker. You
may not know who or what your children may be some day. But God
does! And He has “planted” you in the place of Great
Influence to steer your children in the direction that He
would have them to go. 

No matter where your
children may be today – they may be serving the Lord or they may
not. No matter what – rise up this day and use your God-given
influence. It’s never too late to give godly counsel and
advice.  

For
all the Mothers in the Body of Christ around the world
–

 To all mothers, may God’s
Precious Anointing come upon you like never before to fulfill His
calling on your life to be His History Maker!

Amen
& Amen!

By Connie