Hannah, A Model Mother

​Intro: A Model mother; that word “model” has taken on a whole new meaning in our world. Now it means someone who is Glamorous, with breath taking beauty, perfection of face and figure, a model.
That definition is not so when it comes to being a model mother. The last thing your child needs is a mother who is vain about her appearance; (careful about it, yes; but Vain? No) Some mothers are more concerned about their appearance than they are their children’s well being!
Hannah was a model mother. Now I have no idea how much she weighed; or if she was considered beautiful; or if she would have ever been featured on the cover of any magazine; but she is a great Example of Motherhood and would be a great Model for all young ladies to pattern themselves after.


I. She Considered it a Privilege to be a Mother.
Goodness, we have come to a time where many women consider it a Burden to be a mother, something to be avoided; it would Cramp their lifestyle; restrict their freedom and independence.
Hannah was unable to have children and longed to be a mother. She wanted to bear children and to care for them and to love them. She longed for the thrill of nurturing them through the various stages of life: infancy, childhood, adolescence, teen, young adult and into their own adulthood.
Motherhood is a Privilege! The Bible says that children are the Heritage of the Lord! When God gives children to a man and his wife, he is giving them a BLESSING; giving them an inheritance; a Legacy.
What a privilege to bring another human being into the world to experience life.
What a privilege to bring another Eternal Soul into the world to experience not only earthly life but hopefully to become a child of God and experience Eternal Life as well!
Think how poor our heritage as a nation would be if we had been deprived of such great men and women like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, Betsy Ross, or Clara Barton.
Think how poor our religious heritage would be without men like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Wesley, D L Moody, OR without Harold and Maurine Essary, L D Moore, Ralph Cox, Gail Myers, and a host of others. Thank God for those faithful ladies who considered it a Privilege to be a Mother.


II. She Considered it Important to Pray.
Hannah went to the tabernacle at Shiloh every year to worship God. As the years went by she continued to pray for a child. In our text passage, she had become so overwhelmed in her spirit with the burden of being childless that she was “in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore.” She was so intense in her praying that Eli thought she was drunk and rebuked her.
Hannah didn’t really care what others thought; she was serious; she was desperate; she was persistent in her prayer. She knew that only God could do what she needed done; no one else could meet her need. She longed for a child so much that she wept sore before the Lord and made her petition known. We don’t read a lot about Hannah’s life later but it seems pretty certain that anyone who prayed like this Before a child was born, certainly prayed like this at times After children were born.
Anyone who has been a parent knows about those crisis times when a call to your mom or dad will not be sufficient; when even a call to 911 will not be sufficient. Any parent who does not know the Power of Prayer is at a terrible disadvantage. Any parent who does not Pray is at a terrible disadvantage. Any parent who does not live in such a way that He or She CAN pray with assurance is at a terrible disadvantage. Our responsibilities are demanding; our tasks are difficult; we NEED God’s help on a regular basis.


III. She Considered it Important to Present Her Child to the Lord.
As she prayed for a child she vowed to the Lord that she would dedicate her child to the Lord for his Service. She promised God that if he gave her a son, her son would be consecrated as a Nazarite for his entire life. He would be consecrated to serve God for his whole life.
Every mother needs to Present her children to the Lord. That doesn’t automatically mean that every boy or girl you have will have to be a preacher, a pastor, a missionary, or an evangelist, [though it may be that God will call them into Ministry]. It does mean that YOU are consecrating Yourself to Bring them up with the Knowledge of God, and that you are dedicating them to God that they will come to love God and live for Him;
After all, what’s most important? That your son or daughter be rich or famous; that they be a corporate executive or a sports star; OR that they be Saved and know what it is to live for God?
Clearly its much more important that a child grow up to love God and live for Him than to be considered successful in this world. All the money my children make will vanish like vapor; (some of it now and all of it later). All the social and business positions my children attain will be forfeited eventually. Any houses, lands, and possessions they may own will be forever lost.
If you do not train your children to love God and live for Him you are setting them up for Failure, not just earthly failure but Eternal Failure. For when God’s divine program is completed every soul that ever lived will be alive in either heaven or hell. Live for God and lead your children to the Lord so you can have an eternal family reunion!
Happy Mother’s Day!