American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 20
ARC Prayer Meeting
It is hard to calculate the contribution to God’s Kingdom when it comes to a praying woman, wife, mother, and grandmother. The benefits that concern the welfare of others are astronomical. I know firsthand the blessings of a praying wife and mother.
When the Thomas Nation lost my first wife, Liz, and the mother to our 10 children, we were a broken family. The glue was gone. We were reeling. When she died a big part of me died with her. In God’s good providence, He raised up my current bride, Kendra, to take on a wounded, grieving family.
If you ever want to know the Christian caliber of this dear woman, take a look at her knees. She spent countless hours on them praying from me and our devastated family. It was God’s life line that began to resuscitate our family and bring us back to life again. Her prayers literally brought beauty from ashes.
There is another praying woman in the Old Testament that I want to mention in this brief exhortation. Her name is Hannah. If you recall, she was barren and bitter of heart. Back then a barren womb was considered a curse, today, it is considered a blessing.
She poured out her heart in anguish to the Lord. She prayed, “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” (1 Samuel 1:11).
Eli, the high priest, lacking in discernment thought she was a drunken, silly woman. His error in thinking was corrected and eventually Eli blessed her, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him” (1 Samuel 1:17).
Hannah conceived to the delight of her soul and kept her vow unto God by dedicating her son Samuel to the Lord. Her prayer of thanksgiving is very similar to another mother, one called Mary.
Both women magnified, exalted, and rejoiced in God. Both considered themselves handmaidens of the Lord. Both spoke of God’s dealings in the earth amongst men and nations. How he establishes justice, right wrongs, raises up the lowly and puts down the proud as He sees fit. Both are assured of God’s help in the future in that He is faithful to keep His promises. In many ways, Hannah’s prayer was the forerunner to Mary’s Magnificent.
With Mother’s day approaching soon, it is good to remember, consider, and if you are a woman of God seek to emulate these Matriarchs who have gone before you. Their lives, faith, and prayers helped to change the world for the good and God can use you in a similar fashion to accomplish His purposes in this generation as well.
