God's Special Promise to Mothers

God's Special Promise to Mothers

He tends his flock like a shepherd: 

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; 

he gently leads those that have young.

Isaiah 40:11

The Lord has a very special promise to mothers...  He gently leads those that have young...

The Good Shepherd's ways are indeed gentle, and we can take comfort in that.  Those who are His heed His voice when He calls.

As mothers, we hear God's voice, gently leading us, through prayer and His Word.

Let's take our queues as mothers from the mother of Jesus as we look at how God's special promise to mothers carried out in her life of obedience...

Mothers Can Believe God's Promise

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the most prominent mother of the Bible.   No one had a more intimate relationship with Jesus than she did.   Yet there were times that she struggled as a mom too!  But it was her willingness to be led by the Christ that carried her through all the joys and sufferings of being a mother.

Mary exhibited three characteristics when yielding to the Lord's leading.  Characteristics we can learn from and be blessed by...

MARY BELIEVED GOD

When the Angel announced to Mary that she would conceive a son by the Holy Spirit, she BELIEVED it was true.  Mary knew who God was and believed He would do what He said he would, even something that seemed beyond comprehension - conceiving a son by the Holy Spirit!

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"

Luke 1:46-47

We can be encouraged by Mary's example to BELIEVE God.  We BELIEVE God by knowing Him. We know Him through His Word. A Word that is full of the promises of God, and tells us about the One who is faithful to keep EVERY promise.  When we BELIEVE these promises, we are allowing God to lead us in all that we do.  We will experience less fear and doubt, and be filled with more peace and joy. There are promises from God that speak peace over the smallest nuisance to the biggest trial.  The more we learn about God, the more we will trust Him and believe Him in all things.

Mothers, Are You Willing to Believe God's Promise?

MARY WAS WILLING

 The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 

therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, 

your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Luke 1:35-38

Mary didn’t agonize or debate about her decision to carry the Son of God.  She in essence said, "Okay, I'll do it."  She was WILLING to carry the Son of God!

There are times that we are convicted to do something and we know it is the Holy Spirit prompting us, yet either because we don’t want to, feel inadequate or it seems too difficult, we will say, “No, I can’t do it”.  Just think of the blessings we miss when we are not willing to say, “Okay, I’ll do it!"  The Lord's leading always comes with blessings.   O what blessings await us if the next time we hear His still small voice calling us to Kingdom work, we say “Yes, I will do it!”   And what blessings we will pass down to our children, if they see a WILLING spirit toward the Lord modeled in us.

God's Promise Cultivates Obedience in Mothers

MARY WAS OBEDIENT

By law, Mary and Joseph were required to present Jesus at the temple.

 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord… 

Luke 2:22

Like Mary, God gave us our children to dedicate to Him out of OBEDIENCE to His Word.

She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood 

here beside you, praying to the LORD. "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD 

has given me my petition which I asked of Him. "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.

1 Samuel 1:26-28

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

It’s never too early to dedicate children to the Lord.   Even before our children are born and continually thereafter, we should diligently pray for their salvation, and their walk of obedience in Christ.  When we dedicate our children to the Lord, we are allowing God to lead us as we train them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The lives of our children will bring blessings and heartache.   But through our OBEDIENCE in entrusting our children to the Lord, we will be blessed ten-fold through their joys, and receive strength to endure when we see our children suffering.

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon…And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s [a]Christ.  And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [b]to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,  then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God…

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and [d]rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:25-28; 33-35

And a sword will pierce even your own soul...

Mary would endure unthinkable agony as a mother watching her Son being scourged and crucified.

Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.

John 19:1

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [l]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman [m]cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 

29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head,

 and a [n]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked 

Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

Matthew 27:27:31

17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, [i]bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in [j]Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, But standing by the cross of Jesus was His mother…

John 19:17-18

Standing by the cross of Jesus was His mother...

This verse has always struck a tender spot with me for the strength Mary had in such unfathomable circumstances. No mother should have to watch their child die, let alone such an extreme death, but Mary did not refuse to go.  She stayed with her Son, at the foot of the cross. She stood right there until Jesus spoke the words; "It is finished!"  Her heart must have broken. I wonder if she remembered back to the words Simeon the prophet spoke to her at Jesus' dedication; "Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also"...

I'm sure there are those of us who have stood by our children in the hospital with an acute illness or have had a child go through surgery or have watched their child suffer through the effects of a terminal illness.  A mother’s heart literally aches when their child is suffering no matter what the circumstance.

Mary was able to endure because of her close relationship with Jesus believing Him in all things, even in the midst of questions and many tears; her willingness to trust Him even in the incredibly hard things and her obedience throughout.   I can say from my own experience, when my children have suffered, even though I have shed tears or even questioned God,  I still had this underlying peace that could not be explained except by God’s grace that has been there for me since I received Jesus as my own personal savior.

God's Call to Mothers with a Promise

Jesus is so approachable.  If there is anyone reading this post who would like to experience God's peace and to hear God’s voice gently leading you as a mother or whatever your stage of life, and most especially wants to receive the promise of eternal life in Heaven, just acknowledge that you are a sinner and turn from your sinful ways.   Ask Jesus to be your personal savior.   Acknowledge that Jesus paid the price for your sins when He died on the cross and set your desire to walk in obedience with Him.  I promise, if you ask and understand these things with a contrite and sincere heart, you will be a new creation in Christ Jesus.

I have included a link from a You Tube video for the song, New Again, by Brad Paisley and Sara Evans which is from the soundtrack of the movie, Passion of the Christ.  It’s a very poignant song from the perspective of Jesus talking to Mary from the cross. It’s a testimony of Mary, even in the midst of incomprehensible circumstances, seeking and talking to Jesus her son, her Lord and Savior, as He continues to lead her from the cross.

While you listen to the song, reflect on the hope that Jesus gives to His Mother and to all of us, even in circumstances that at face value may seem hopeless; a hope that could only come through His death and resurrection on Easter morning giving us new life in Him.

For similar posts, click on the following:

The Joy of Expecting

14 Promises to Claim this Mother's Day for Every Season of Motherhood

Hannah's Prayer: 7 Important Lessons for Mothers

Labor, Delivery & New Life

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