A Woman After God’s Own Heart

I was really excited to read this chapter in Voices of the True Woman Movement because it is written by Janet Parshall.  The theme of this chapter is the impact of a mother’s prayers. Janet took the story of Hannah, piece by piece, and drew lessons from each situation.

Hannah lived in the times of the judges, and society was wicked, just as it is today.  We know that she was one of Elkannah’s wives, and she was barren.  “Whenever a society begins to tinker with the institution of marriage, created by God in a perfect environment called Eden, we are undermining a profound and precious gift.”  What a statement!  Marriage is definitely under attack in our culture today!

When speaking of the hard things that God allows into our lives, Janet made the point that we still have to trust the Lord.  It is His perfect plan that _______________ is my situation in life (singleness, barrenness, sickness, family troubles, etc.).  The question to us is whether or not we will trust God.  Even when His answer to my prayer is “no”, will I trust Him?”  I liked the analogy that Janet used – God is not an ATM machine for every prayer request.  I think that too many times I come to Him with that mindset – since I am praying, He is going to say “yes.”

Janet also spent a lot of time dealing with the issue of Hannah’s vow to God, and how she followed through with her vow in giving Samuel back to the Lord.  That must have surely been a hard decision, and one that many of us would have reneged.  In fact, the reality is, that every child is a gift from God, and they never “belong” to us in the first place.  Janet states it this way:

“This reminds us of a profound reality: our children do not now—nor have they ever—belonged to us.  They are God’s.  We are simply the happy participants in His lend-lease program.  He gives us permission to touch their hearts and minds, to teach them, to write truth on the tablets of their life, to help them know the love of Christ their Savior, to inspire in them a love for God and His Word…and then they go.  They’re HIs, and His alone.”

I was reminded that being a mommy is great privilege – for there are many ladies who desire children and cannot/do not have them.  But it is also an awesome responsibility, and I will give account to Jesus Christ for the way I parent Elaine.

There are several lessons learned in this chapter:

1. Hannah’s story teaches is what it means to be a true woman of God.  She let go of her own plans.  She knew that God was in charge.
2. Motherhood is actually one of God’s refining fires. 
3. The reality of motherhood is that it’s a place to learn surrender, letting go, trusting and believe that God is God.
4. With God in control, our prayers for our children can make a mark on our nation.  For Hannah child Samuel became the judge of the nation Israel.

The third lesson reminded me of a sermon I once heard on Mother’s Day.  The preacher said that a mother’s job is to prepare her children to leave the nest.  I’m so glad my own mother prepared me to be a wife and mother, and that she wasn’t afraid to let me go when the time came for me to leave home.  I hope, with God’s help, that I can do the same for my children.