I am preparing for a Mother's Day banquet at our church. I have been praying about what to share and reflecting on all the previous banquets I have been privileged to host as a pastor's wife. The one thing I have consistently found is that if I ask God what He wants, he reminds me that every single thing that we go through in our own lives can be used to minister to someone else.
In Exodus, we read the story of Jochebed. The Jewish mother living in captivity in Egypt. Pharoah had decreed that all boys born to Jewish families would be put to death. The helplessness she felt as a mother must have been overwhelming. The ONLY thing that she could do was surrender Moses to God and trust that God would spare her son. As the story goes on, Moses is spared and becomes the deliverer of his people.
The New Testament gives us many stories of trust and surrender, but none more compelling than that of Mary herself. Imagine giving birth to the son of God! Raising a precious child born to be the sacrificial lamb. Of course, we know her story ends with the death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus. Mary obviously had to come to the moment of surrender.
As mothers, we too will face the moment in our child's life when we realize we cannot save them in ourselves. Whether they are facing physical danger, emotional turmoil, or spiritual attack; the feeling of absolute helplessness can overwhelm us. Those are the times when our faith in God is all that keeps us from sliding into a deep, dark hole.
At times like this, we can look back at women who went before us like Jochebed, Mary and others and remember their faith. I think a key for me has been to recognize that my absolute panic involves whether or not I trust in the love God has for my children.
GOD LOVES MY CHILDREN! They are not His grandchildren but His own precious children; they are deeply loved by Him. I have to trust that love. His hands are so much more capable of holding them than my own are. He sees their deepest needs and sent His one and only perfect Son for them. Trust involves surrender and I have to surrender them to Him, especially in those times when my efforts to save them fail miserably.
Father, I pray for my children today. You know exactly where they are and what they need in their lives. I pray You would surround them with Your precious Spirit. Draw them closely to You and let them hear Your voice. I surrender them to You once again. I trust You to be everything that they need in their lives right now. Mature them and grow them in You. Show them Your plan and Your purpose for their lives.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
In Exodus, we read the story of Jochebed. The Jewish mother living in captivity in Egypt. Pharoah had decreed that all boys born to Jewish families would be put to death. The helplessness she felt as a mother must have been overwhelming. The ONLY thing that she could do was surrender Moses to God and trust that God would spare her son. As the story goes on, Moses is spared and becomes the deliverer of his people.
The New Testament gives us many stories of trust and surrender, but none more compelling than that of Mary herself. Imagine giving birth to the son of God! Raising a precious child born to be the sacrificial lamb. Of course, we know her story ends with the death and ultimate resurrection of Jesus. Mary obviously had to come to the moment of surrender.
As mothers, we too will face the moment in our child's life when we realize we cannot save them in ourselves. Whether they are facing physical danger, emotional turmoil, or spiritual attack; the feeling of absolute helplessness can overwhelm us. Those are the times when our faith in God is all that keeps us from sliding into a deep, dark hole.
At times like this, we can look back at women who went before us like Jochebed, Mary and others and remember their faith. I think a key for me has been to recognize that my absolute panic involves whether or not I trust in the love God has for my children.
GOD LOVES MY CHILDREN! They are not His grandchildren but His own precious children; they are deeply loved by Him. I have to trust that love. His hands are so much more capable of holding them than my own are. He sees their deepest needs and sent His one and only perfect Son for them. Trust involves surrender and I have to surrender them to Him, especially in those times when my efforts to save them fail miserably.
Father, I pray for my children today. You know exactly where they are and what they need in their lives. I pray You would surround them with Your precious Spirit. Draw them closely to You and let them hear Your voice. I surrender them to You once again. I trust You to be everything that they need in their lives right now. Mature them and grow them in You. Show them Your plan and Your purpose for their lives.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
Comments