Mother’s Prayers

 

My little brother, Ross, and his playmate came into the house one afternoon to get a drink of water. As they passed the bedroom, they heard Mama praying. Ross’ playmate asked, “What’s she doin’ in there?” Ross replied, “Oh, don’t pay no ‘tention to her. She’s always praying.”

I have often wondered where I would be in life if it weren’t for a mother who knew how to pray. I have faced a life of sick children, divorce, financial problems, church splits, deaths in the family. Through it all, Mother has been my most faithful prayer partner.

Maybe you don’t know what to pray for your children. Start with the easy stuff. Does your child have nightmares? Pray for sweet sleep. Does she need help in school? Pray for wisdom and favor with her teacher. Is your teenager showing rebellion? Pray for God to surround him with Christian friends who can be a good influence on him.

The time to start praying for your children is before they are born, but if you didn’t start then, it is never too late. Are your children grown? Perhaps you were not in church when they were young. Is there any hope? The good news is that prayer for your children is as effective when they are grown as when they were small.

When the jailer in Philippi asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul answered “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” Acts 16:31NIV.

Praying your family into the kingdom of God requires more effort when they are grown and it is harder to see immediate results, but it is worth it.

Jeremiah 31:16 NIV says, “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded. There is hope for your future. Your children will return to their own land.”

God is faithful to His word and He will see that you are rewarded.  The greatest thing a mother can do for her children is pray for them.

A Heart At Peace

Everywhere you turn people are crying out for peace. Peace in the Middle East, peace at home, peace in their families, peace on the streets of the cities. 

Isaiah 32:17 NIV says “The fruit of righteousness will be peace and the effects of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwellings, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

Oh, doesn’t that sound so wonderful? When was the last time you laid your head down at night in a peaceful dwelling, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest? I hope it was last night. But there are many people who never have peace, security and rest. The streets of many cities are filled with violence; the murder rate has gone up; unemployment is higher than it has been in years. Where can the average person find peace?

Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Jesus is the only way to peace. The world’s peace won’t last. There will always be something to steal your peace, but with Jesus you will find everlasting peace.

Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 

The word ‘and’ is a conjunction joining two verses together so when you do what verse 6 says, you can have what verse 7 says.

Verse 6 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

There is the essence of it. Don’t worry, pray about everything, and give thanks to the Lord for the answer before it comes. Then lay down your head at night in peace.

 After all, Isaiah 9:6 says He, the Messiah, the coming King, Jesus Christ, is the Prince of Peace.

Crappie Dinner

One Sunday, years ago, I was hungry for fish. I was going through a divorce, so money was tight. One of my neighbors fished a lot but he had already told me that he’d given away his last catch and his freezer was empty.

I remember praying a simple prayer, like “Jesus, I’d sure like to have some fish to eat.” About 2 p.m. a kid from down the street rang the doorbell. This family had 3 or 4 little kids under 10 years old and they tormented me a lot, running in and out of my house just like their own. “Mom said to ask you if you want some fish.” I was shocked. Was the Lord going to answer my prayer through them? Of course I said yes, and started to get the sink ready to clean them. Here came that kid again with a plate of fresh fried crappie hot off the fire. “Mom cooked these fish but us kids don’t like them,” and ran off to play.

I recall a story in John 21 that happened after Jesus rose from the dead. Peter had told the others, “I’m going fishing.” The others said, “We’ll go with you.” But they fished all night and caught nothing. When dawn broke, Jesus stood on the beach and called, “Boys, did you catch any fish? Do you have anything to eat with your bread?” They said, “No!” Jesus said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat,” and they caught so many they couldn’t haul them all in. Peter jumped off and swam to shore. When he got there, Jesus had a fire going, and fish and bread ready to eat. And Jesus said, “Come and have breakfast.”

I believe the feast in heaven may just be crappie and fresh fried hushpuppies, cooked by Jesus Himself.

Gentleman Jesus

They laid Jesus’ dead body in the tomb. Their hopes and dreams of a conquering Messiah to overcome the Roman rulers lay dead, too.

So, their hopes all gone, and in fear for their lives, they all hid out. Life would never be the same again, but life would go on, even without the Messiah.

Except for the women. Their broken hearts gave them a boldness to go to the tomb that Sunday morning. What did they have to lose? They had already lost the only thing that ever mattered to them, their dear Jesus, and they had nowhere else to go, nothing else to do.

So they went to the tomb, as every mother and sister, every woman has for thousands of years, to touch the stone-cold hands one more time and look in the face of that precious one they loved more than life itself. They wanted to smooth oils and perfumes on that cold body to keep it from smelling one more day. In their grief, they just could not let Him go.

The women went to the tomb, worrying about who they could get to move the stone that covered the entrance, but when they got there, the stone was rolled away.

Jesus was gone, risen from the dead. He didn’t need to move the stone to get out. He proved that later when, in His newly resurrected body, He walked through the walls and suddenly appeared to His disciples.

But Jesus, being the gentleman that He is, saw to it that the angels moved the stone, so the women could come in.

Dressing Up For God

When I was a little girl, we usually got new Easter clothes and shoes.

♫“In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade…”♫

We put our pennies in the Penny March, listened to the story of Jesus, and sang the Easter songs.

♫“Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes….”♫

We had egg hunts at school and in our yard, but not at church. Some years when it rained, we hid Easter eggs in the house. We knew there was something fishy about a rabbit laying eggs; you couldn’t fool us.

♫“Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail…”♫

Sure it was a cute story, but we knew what the real Easter was all about—Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection on the third day.

When my children were young, I spent every Easter weekend staying up late, making two Easter dresses, one for my daughter and one for me. It got to be a joke that sometimes we had our Easter dress for church for the 4th of July..

Now during the week, I don’t dress up much for work, although I am always clean and modest, but I fix my hair and dress up in my best for the Lord on Sunday morning, knowing that I have an audience with the Creator of the Universe, the Lord God Almighty.

I have material, patterns, thread, and a new sewing machine, but I haven’t made an Easter dress in more than 10 years I still have time to make myself an Easter dress and I am sure that if I dig around in my fabric stash, I would find enough material and a pattern to make it.

I just want to be sure that I look good for my precious Saviour. I always dress up for God.More importantly, I prepare my heart to come into His throne room on Resurrection Sunday and every day.

I Samuel 16:7 NKJV, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Is my heart prepared to be in the presence of His majesty?

Missing in Action

Several years ago the Department of Defense announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, 1st Lt. Shannon E. Estill, U.S. Army Air Forces, who was missing in action from World War II, had been identified and returned to his family for burial with full honors. He had been considered missing in action for over 50 years.

Many servicemen went missing during the Vietnam conflict and it appeared nothing was being done to find missing personnel. Several famous movies were made about men who went in alone to recover their missing comrades.

There are many missing-in-action people from our churches these days, those who no longer are with us. No, I don’t mean they are dead. I mean they have quit going to church. The number one reason is that someone in the church did something to hurt them and it was easier not to go back.

Christians, look around this Sunday and think about those from your congregation who are missing. Write their name down and make a note to call them this week and invite them to come back. Sometimes all it takes is one invitation, one person who acts like she cares, that will be the deciding factor in bringing these people back to the church. If you come in contact with someone who has left their church, take that opportunity to invite them to go to church with you this Easter.

Everyone ought to go to church at least on Christmas and Easter to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. And if every person in town went to church on Easter Sunday, every church would be full.

Are you MIA? Missing in action from your church? If you just can’t go back to that church, find you a church where you can attend.

I know God’s heart’s desire is like mine—that every church in town be full and running over on Easter morning so people can hear the Good News.