Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Tall Paul's Preaching. This is sermon number four. This was on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13th of 2018.
I was so nervous for whatever reason that I forgot to record the message until halfway through. So for the first part of this message, I simply read my notes and then it will join the live recording when it begins.
The main scripture for this episode will be the prayer of Hannah, Samuel's mother, found in 1 Samuel chapter 1 and 1 Samuel chapter 2. This episode is titled Mother's Day Prayer.
The original prayer was not recorded, but we should always enter into the word with prayer. So, Heavenly Father, will you open your word to our hearts?
And I pray that we open our hearts to your word. Lord, teach us what you would have us learn and may you be blessed and glorified in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Let me start with this.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: A Sunday school teacher asked, you know, a little boy? I said, billy, do you say your prayers before you eat?
And Billy replied, I don't have to. My mom is a good cook.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: Prayer and mothers.
Theodore Roosevelt said, praying mothers are America's greatest assets.
We should honor godly mothers.
Just look at what they do through their prayers.
They move mountains. And we should bless our mothers.
What can we do through prayer for them?
Let's look at one of my favorite prayer verses. And then we will look at a mother's prayer.
So James, chapter 5, verse 16 in the second half, James 5:16 says, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: And that's how I learned it in the King James, and that's how I've memorized it. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: So let's first look at the effectual fervent in the Greek, that's energeo.
And that's where we get our word energized. Energized.
And that prayer is effectually fervent. Energized.
A prayer is focused, faithful, or there's faith in it.
It's a targeted strike. It's purposeful, it's directed.
That's the type of prayer that is effectual, fervent.
And wisdom is knowing what to pray for.
You know, the older wiser we get, the better our prayers. They can be targeted and purposeful. You know, when we have children where we're praying, just make it through the day. But when we have grandchildren, we can see into their lives and more and know more specifically what they need in their lives, and we can target our prayers for our grandchildren. Much better than we did with just our children.
[00:04:12] Speaker B: Like praying that they will have good friends when they grow, or praying for their spirit instead of their physical needs. We pray that they grow and spirit and knowledge of Christ.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much of a righteous man or of the righteous. Let's look at that.
God alone is righteous. And so we must align with God in our prayers.
You know, in Christ, God alone has the power.
It's not by my power, it's not by my might. No.
Zechariah, chapter 4, verse 6 says, not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
You know, when you're praying righteously, there's a mutual benefit. It's mutually beneficial to God and to us.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: It's praying that God's will would be done and that I would be able to do it.
It's that recognition of dependence and deliverance from God.
[00:05:44] Speaker A: James 5:16. Again, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Availeth much. What does that mean? Well, it's powerful, it's effective, it's lasting and it's answered.
Prayer is so powerful, we don't even comprehend how powerful prayer is. We have access through Christ to the creator of the entire universe.
I've never met anyone who admits that they pray too much.
Most, when they're willing to admit it and be real, they'll admit that they do not pray enough.
God made mothers different.
God intended moms to be different.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Now, I'm not a mother. My wife could probably preach and teach and talk about this much more than I could.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: You know, I don't fully understand. Obviously, I'm a man, you know, and I'm not a mother. And fathers pray differently. You know, they pray that their kids will be winners, you know, fast and strong or handsome and pretty or smart and tall. You know, all the good things. That's what men pray for. But mothers, you know, they'll pray something like, I just want my kid to win with humility or lose with grace.
Mothers love equally. They love all their kids with all their heart.
Mothers are a great example of God's love. What God wants for us, he loves us all equally, you know, he wants not just for us to win, but he wants us to win with experience and humility and to grow.
A math teacher asked a boy this.
Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you. So you have two parents and five children.
What part of the pie would you get?
A sixth, replied the boy.
I'm afraid you don't know your fractions, said the teacher. Remember, there are seven of you. Yes, teacher, said the boy. But you don't know my mother.
My mom would say she didn't want any pie.
That is such the sacrificial love of a mother.
Moms are such sacrificial, just like God.
Now we're coming to one of those types of mothers. Very sacrificial.
Coming to Hannah. Hannah was the mother of Samuel. But before all of that, she was barren. In a time when being barren was a shame, people looked down on you more harshly than they do today when you did not have a child. Well, Hannah did not have a child. And she lived in some of the most wicked times of the Bible. This is the time of the Judges, where everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
It was lawless. They did not know the word of God.
Well, Eli, he is the high priest. It is such a dark time that Hannah is there praying, you know, with just moving her lips. So she is praying inside her head, but not speaking out loud. But she is praying with her lips moving. And he thinks she is drunk right there at the temple. That is how dark of a time it was that he would think someone would come to the temple drunk and pray.
Well, God's people were required to go to Shiloh. And that's where the ark was there and that's where the high priest was. But right there at the temple, there was prostitution. There were sexual sins right at the temple. There was even extortion and wickedness committed by Eli's own two sons. They were acting as priests, and they would extort the people and they would take the best sacrifices and not let the people go to God freely.
Well, Hannah was miserable without a child. And so she petitions the Lord for a child.
Now, every year her husband did what was right and he would go to the the temple to Shiloh every year to offer up the sacrifices that were required of the law even in that dark time. Well, Matthew 6:8.
Matthew 6:8 says, Be you not therefore like unto them, for your father knows what things you have need of before you ask him. Matthew 6:8.
Well, God already knows what Hannah needs.
All right, let's look at Hannah.
First Samuel, chapter 1. First Samuel, chapter 1, verses 9 through 18. First Samuel, chapter 1, verse 9.
So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now, Eli, the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord, and wept in anguish. Verse 11.
Then she made a vow and said, o Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.
And it happened as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, how long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you. But Hannah answered and said, no, my Lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.
Then Eli answered and said, go in peace, and the Lord God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of him.
And she said, let your maidservant find favor in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.
Well, let's look at Hannah's prayer in the light of James 5:16.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Hannah wept sore as she prayed. She was energized, she was purposeful. She had a very short and targeted prayer, very effectual, fervent.
It was packed.
It was direct and to the point. It was earnest and true from her heart.
You know, when we pray, we should pray like Hannah, from the heart. Do not try and fake God out and, you know, try and con him into getting what you really want. Ask him.
Pray from your heart and just ask him plainly for what you want.
Three times she called herself a servant, a handmaid, a maidservant, and that is that righteous part, the recognition of the power of God and her place. She was a maidservant unworthy of God's power. Well, she vows willing to give her son away.
She really wants a son.
But even though she wants a son so badly, she was willing to give that son right back to the Lord.
It wasn't just a prayer of her getting.
It was mutually beneficial to God. See, the Lord needed a man, needed a righteous judge just as badly as she needed a son.
God needed that type of a person to clean up and deliver the nation.
Samuel, that son is going to usher in a new era of kings and will Anoint King David king and teach us much about God.
James 4:2, 3. James 4:2. You lust and have not. You kill and desire to have and cannot obtain.
You fight and war, yet you have not because you ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts.
That was not Hannah's heart and prayer. She did not want it for her own gain or to consume it upon her own lusts. Yes, she was sorrowful and desperately wanted a son, but she was willing to give that right back to God.
Back in First Samuel, chapter one, verse 17, Eli told her to go in peace and God grant it. And she believed that.
She responded in the next verse with, she had faith that it would happen.
She called herself a handmaid again. And it was grace that she accepted. She wasn't sad anymore. She trusted that God was in control.
And God delivers. And Hannah delivers a son named Samuel. And Samuel, by the way, Samuel's name means heard of God, or God heard her and hears us. And so she named her son Samuel.
Well, Hannah doesn't stop there.
She continues growing in faith and prayer and gives her son over into the hands of God, just as she promised.
Samuel moves out early as soon as he was weaned.
We live in a culture where, you know, thoughts and prayers. They say, your thoughts and prayers aren't enough.
That's the type of culture they want, actions.
Well, as a mother, sometimes that might be all you have. When the kids have left the nest, you might only have thoughts and prayers.
Well, we should give that up. Give our kids over to God. Give them up to God like Hannah did. It's the best thing to do, to trust in the Lord to handle our kids now that they're out of our care.
Now, Hannah, Hannah's next prayer isn't going to be like we think it is. You know, it's not like I would as a man, you know, oh, let Samuel be king and mighty. Mighty warrior. And no, no, Hannah's heart is quite different.
[00:20:09] Speaker B: Check out her second prayer. That it was a recognition of God, of God's faithfulness, of God's character.
[00:20:19] Speaker A: And Hannah is going to pray a very unique prayer. And that's what we're going to look at next.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: What you would think. It's not what I would think, and it's not what I would have prayed.
It's an exaltation of God.
So First Samuel, chapter two. I'm going to read verses one through ten.
And Hannah prayed and said, my heart rejoices in the Lord.
My horn or strength is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.
No one is holy like the Lord. For there is none besides you.
Nor is there any rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly.
Let no arrogance come from your mouth. For the Lord is the God of knowledge. And by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty men are broken. And those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. And the hungry have ceased to be hungry. Even the barren has borne seven.
And she who has many children has become feeble.
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. And he has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of his saints. But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces from heaven. He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.
And wow.
Where is the prayer for Samuel to grow up and be mighty like Samson or to gain wealth and power? And that's not this mother's prayer. Once she has received her son and she's given him now to Eli to raise in the temple, she prays a recognition of God as being in control now of her son.
He's always been in control, but she's now recognizing that.
And Hannah tells us to rejoice because God gives us answers.
And only God, only God is holy.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: He is our rock.
[00:23:25] Speaker B: He is our firm foundation.
We should be humble in his sight in the presence of God.
[00:23:33] Speaker A: Humble ourselves.
[00:23:36] Speaker B: God is sovereign. He lifts up those he wants to lift up. And he takes low those he wants to take low.
But he preserves his own. He judges, he strengthens and he exalts.
So the lesson I've learned is to pray to trust God with your kids.
Mothers need that kind of faith in God to trust him with their kids when they've left the nest.
Loan your kids to God. Basically understanding the big picture, that God is the loving father.
God loves your kids more than you do.
I know it's a hard thing to comprehend, but his love is so great.
You got to realize that your kids are in God's hands.
Have faith, trust, but pray now for the rest of us non mothers, we did not get to pick our parents. God chose our mothers for us.
Whether we like it or not, our mothers had a huge impact on who we are. We learn so much from our mothers and they are so influential. And example is Bob having to weed and tend to the lawn and garden. And he grows up and he still weeds and tends to the garden.
My mother has instilled many things in me and you know, it was who God picked out. I didn't get to pick and choose. And oh, I wanted, you know, my friend's mother's cooking, I'll tell you that. But that's not what I got. And I'm proud and I'm thankful for who I am because of my mother. Mothers are so influential. They're so around us.
And mothers out there, your children are just who they should be.
Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher, said, I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother.
Mothers are wonderful and their prayers are powerful. If you look at Hannah, she prayed for a son, she got a son and she prayed and exalted God.
Jesus is our example or should be our example.
Jesus had an earthly mother and he cared for her until his last breath. He's dying on the cross and yet he takes the time in his dying moment to give care over of his mother to John the disciple. His first performed or first recorded miracle in the Bible was for her. His mom. His mom. Like all moms, they're proud of their children's abilities. If it's piano, then they want the child to perform a piano recital for all her friends and let it be known how wonderful her child is.
And Mary, the mother of Jesus is the same.
She wants Jesus to perform a miracle at the wedding feast.
And Jesus honors his mother and does just that, turning the water into wine for his mom.
Jesus loved his mother, honored his mother, and we should do the same.
And Jesus also an example for us. He prayed. He prayed a lot.
He would go off quiet time alone and pray to the Father and that communion with the Father and he would advocate for us.
So we should pray for our mothers with the same love as she has prayed for us.
We should thank her. God chose her for you and you for her.
I'm going to read some myths motherhood to put it into perspective.
These are myths of motherhood.
Somebody said that a child is carried in its mother's womb for nine months. Somebody does not know that a child is carried in its mother's heart forever.
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.
Somebody does not know once you're a mother, normal is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct.
Somebody never took a three year old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring.
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said good mothers never raise their voices.
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.
Somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child rearing questions by reading books.
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up her nose.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.
Somebody never watched her baby get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.
Somebody does not know that marriage adds a new son or daughter in law to a mother's heartstring.
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.
Somebody never had grandchildren.
And somebody said your mother knows you love her so you don't need to tell her somebody is not a mother.
We never pray enough and we never think our mothers enough. But we should try.
We often let the failures of knowing that we don't pray enough stop us from praying. But when we recognize that we don't pray enough, that's when we should pray. Just forget everything else and just right there pray God maybe put your mother or your child or whoever needs prayer on your heart.
There's nothing stopping us from accessing the throne of God through Jesus Christ and pray right then and there.
So even though we won't pray enough, we shouldn't beat ourselves up over it.
And we can never thank our mothers enough. But again, we should try.
God's love is incomprehensible and a mother's love for her kids is a very close second.
We should be like Hannah.
Never stop loving.
We should be like Hannah and we should pray from the heart.
Pray what's within us. Pray fervently and pray in righteousness and recognize that God is in control. He's in control of our children's lives.
He's in control of our loved ones lives.
So let's bow our hearts in prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you for our mothers.
Thank you for who you are.
Thank you for blessing us with mothers.
You love us so much and care for us like a mother does, loving each of us equally, hoping we will grow strong and sound in our faith in God and you are willing to do everything for us, even sacrificing your life for ours.
Just like a mother, we turn our lives and our loved one lives over to you.
We trust you Lord.
Help us to remember to pray.
We don't thank our mothers enough and we don't thank you enough either.
So thank you, bless our mothers and may your will be done in all of our lives.
Amen.
[00:33:23] Speaker A: Thank you for listening to this message. We hope you enjoyed it. Our prayer is that the message, in some way or another, helped in your walk with God and that your relationship with God was strengthened and grew more intimate.
If you would like to contact us with questions or comments, you can email us at the following address.
That's medletters.com or M E D L E T t e r s.com thank you.
