(This is an extract of a message preached by Rev Jai Kumar at the C3 Church in Subang on the 8th of May 2016 in honour of mothers on Mother’s Day).
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised (Prov. 31:30)
WE ARE TO PRAISE OUR MOTHERS
You know what? We are to praise our mothers because of the wonderful things they have done to bless us.
Think of all that she has done to give us life: offered her body, her time, her own physical nourishment, her attention, her affection, her pain, her praise, her care, her sleep. And her love. Think of all the times your mother cared for you in special ways. Moms, I want to tell you this morning, you are the greatest!! Prov.31:29 makes it clear, this praise should be given by a good mother’s children and husband.
1 Samuel 1:1-28 speaks about some exemplary qualities of an Ideal Mother. Notice the characteristics of Hannah as a mother.
Verses 5-6 speaks about: THE BARRENNESS OF HANNAH
The scripture says in verse 5: The Lord had shut up her womb; that was a social stigma in those days.
Elkanah the husband of Hannah had two wives – Peninnah and Hannah.
Hannah had no children. In those days it was considered an unacceptable norm or tradition for not having children. That was the culture or tradition of those days.
Hannah was very sorrowful and grieved; it was hurting her as she was barren without a child.
Despite the fact that her husband loved her very much.
THE BITTERNESS OF HER SOUL (vs. 10): The scripture says, despite the agony of pain, she was a woman of prayer:
“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sorely”
Hannah prayed with such intensity and reverence pouring out her heart before the Lord.
Indeed she was a woman of prayer! She had an intimate relationship with God.
THE BETTER PART OF HANNAH
And this was the better part of Hannah! Despite her bitterness and sorrow, despite her pain! Despite her hurting! You know what? She had somebody to hang on to! She had somebody to trust! She had somebody to hope! She had somebody to believe!
SHE BELIEVED IN A GOD OUT THERE WHO COULD CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN HER LIFE
SHE KNEW THE VERY NAME (WHICH IN HEBREW MEANT GRACE) WAS NOT GIVEN TO HER BY CHANCE
She knew she had a God out there who could change the seasons in her life! She knew her very name which in Hebrew meant “grace” was not given to her by chance. She believed it must have been in the will of God and it carried the unmerited favor of God in her life.
BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE BELIEVED SHE RECEIVED
You bet your life, because of what she believed she received! Consequently God answered her prayer and she was rewarded in the end. Vs.20 That was truly awesome!!
NOTHING BUT PRAYER CAN HEAL THE BITTERNESS OF A BROKEN HEART
You know what? Nothing, but prayer can heal the bitterness of a broken heart. I wonder if you had realized that this morning.
WHOSE PRAYER DOES THE LORD DELIGHT?
Can I ask you, in whose prayer does the Lord delight? What kind of prayer produces great results?
James 5: 16b: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
HANNAH KNEW IF SHE COULD TOUCH THE HEART OF GOD SHE COULD MOVE THE HAND OF GOD
Although her heart was broken and hurting because of that barrenness, because of that social stigma! She never gave up her confidence; she never gave up her faith! She never gave up trusting in her God. She knew deep in her heart that the “all sufficient El Shaddai” the miracle working God! The covenant keeping God! The prayer answering God! Will somehow listen to her cry! And she knew, now listen to me! Listen to me! If she could touch the heart of God, she could move the hand of God in her favor!!
And she understood that God is able to fulfill and meet the desire of her heart..
HANNAH WAS A GOD FEARING WOMAN OF PRAYER
Hannah was a God fearing woman who took a stand and promised the Lord that she would give that son that God is going to bless her with back to Him to serve Him all the days of His life. Look at Vs.11:
“Then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head’
IT TAKES A GOD-FEARING WOMAN TO LIVE BY GOD’S STANDARDS
You know what? It really takes a God-fearing woman to take a stand in life and live by the principles that God has laid down in His word. I am afraid to say to you this morning that only a few women will qualify to take a stand before God and live by God’s principles.
THERE IS SO MUCH OF COMPROMISE IN THE WORLD OF TODAY
There is so much of compromise in the world today that we water down the principles of God! The values of God! The standards of God! And we try to live our lives by our own standards and principles, feeding our own selfish agenda, thus creating our own problems and ultimately living a life of defeat and failure.
You know what? We are so messed up in our lives! Because we invite our own problems. Because of our own silly behaviour and we blame God for it in the end. We are unable to walk in the promises of God! Instead of God’s blessings chasing after us, we run after something that is never found at all in the end..
And it came to pass, after Hannah had conceived, she bore a son and called his name Samuel.
You know what?
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Hannah won the victory through prayer. Isn’t our God an awesome God!
I believe it is very encouraging for us this morning that we too can win our battles through our prayers. You know what you and I have? You and I have “The power of prayer”!
Prayer is the greatest tool! That you and I have, to overcome and change situations in our lives.
Here is something I want to tell you this morning. Are you ready for it?
YOUR GREATEST MIRACLE IN YOUR LIFE
Your greatest miracle in your life will always take place through your prayers. God does things through prayers that He will not do any other way.
Can you imagine a barren mother desperate for a child in sorrow, grief and bitterness and a broken heart finally begets one son and returns him to the Lord to serve Him all his life?! Are you hearing me this morning?
THE WORLD WILL SAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Are you serious? I waited all my life for this child and now I get one child and you expect me to give him away?
Hey! Listen to me! How much do you think Hannah would have loved and adored her son? How much do you think Abraham would have loved Isaac? How much do you think God the Father would have loved His only son, yet He gave him up for us all!
Look at Vs. 24-28: Hannah returned to the temple a year later and dedicated the boy Samuel to the Lord (as her gift to God.)
Do you know that Samuel became the greatest prophet in Israel?
Today, most mothers or parents would want their children to be in the secular world holding flashy and high jobs and we boast so much about how well our children are doing in the secular world. I suppose it takes a Godly mother to dedicate her son to serving the Lord.
But in the case of Hannah, she was very sure, she was very confident and she realized, the best she could give her son was to raise him to be devoted to God. She knew, heart to heart, that there is no better place! There is no greater place, there is no safer place, than to give her son back to serving God all his life. She did it absolutely without hesitation or reservation.
HANNAH’S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WAS BEYOND THE ORDINARY
For Hannah, that relationship she had with God superseded everything else that affected her life. She said, God you are more important to me than anyone or anything else! She was indeed a courageous mother. She knew the scriptures well, her actions seems to demonstrate it very clearly. She knew “what profith a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul”.
Matt. 6:33: Seek he first His Kingdom and all the rest of things will be added unto you
WHEN YOU DO A SMALL THING RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD …
You touch the heart of the Father. A thousand miracles will chase after your life.
Because of Hannah’s faithfulness unto the Lord, the scripture tells us in chapt.2: 21: the Lord further blessed Hannah with 3 sons and 2 daughters.
KINGDOM ECONOMY
Here is a Kingdom economy you need to pick up here. She gave that only son she had to the Lord and God blessed her in return with more than double of what she gave to the Lord. That is Awesome! Because He is an awesome God
Hannah was able to move the hand of God to bring about a miracle in her life because
no 1, she was willing to give that precious gift of her son, and that touched the heart of God.
No.2, Despite what was going on in her life, she was not angry with God. She had a right relationship with God.
I want to tell you something that has been proven over and over and over again today. God’s system has never failed in human history. But Man’s system fails daily. God is the only one who promises that when you give to Him, He will give back to you a hundred-fold. There is no victory without a sacrifice. There is no harvest without a seed.
MY GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR MOUNTAIN
You think yours is an impossible problem. You think yours is the end of the road! My God is bigger than any situation! Bigger than any mountain that you face! I know my God is bigger than any storm that you need to go through in your life! He is a God of more than enough. Nothing is impossible with Him if only you believe. What you believe is what you will receive.
Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is a mission minded pastor who carries an apostolic anointing who preaches and teaches an uncompromising gospel with boldness. A member of ECCM (Malaysia) Spiritual Adviser & overseer to various ministries and churches. An itinerant speaker. He is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’ Currently he worships at C3 Subang.
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Rev Dr Jai Kumar
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