Great Mothers Make Great Nations
Message by: Mason Hoover
After Moses led the people out of Egypt and Joshua led the people into the promised land, Israel had 12 primary judges.
Some of the famous judges we usually remember are:
Gideon ~ who led an army of 300 to defeat an army of more than 100,000.
Samson ~ who had supernatural strength from God.
Deborah ~ who was also a prophetess (one of only seven documented female prophets of the Old Testament).
In the Old Testament, judges were temporary, charismatic, and often military leaders. They were raised by God to deliver Israel from foreign oppression, restore order, and promote covenant faithfulness. They acted between the time of Joshua and the monarchy, and they served as rulers and defenders rather than judicial officials, providing localized leadership during a cycle of sin, punishment, and repentance.
Judges 5:6-7
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the days of Jael, people avoided the main roads, and travelers stayed on winding pathways. There were few people left in the villages of Israel until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
Deborah did not arise as a judge for Israel. Deborah did not arise as prophetesses for Israel. She was raised as a mother for Israel.
The highways would have been deserted due to enemy harassment, robbery, and warfare. This would have been a big issue because the main roads were crucial for commerce and travel.
In today's culture there are unsafe roads for our children to travel.
John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Sometimes the world tells us things like:
Find your own Truth.
Do whatever makes you happy.
All paths lead to God.
But, the Bible tells us:
Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
We are also in a world that is telling some kids they were born in the wrong body. Some are even having kids take hormone blockers. God does not make mistakes.
The roads of “finding our own truth” or “finding our own happiness” do not lead to real happiness. These roads do not lead to victory. These roads do not lead to Heaven - they lead to destruction.
Psalm 19:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Maybe at this time America doesn’t need a powerful leader. Maybe at this time America does not need a powerful prophet. Maybe what America needs is for the mothers to arise!
It's time for mothers to rise up in America to protect the direction of our children.
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
As the family goes; so goes the church; so goes the town; so goes the city; so goes the state; and so goes the nation.
Great stories start with great mothers.
1 Samuel 1:10-14, 20, 27-28
[10] Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. [11] And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if You will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to You. He will be Yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” [12] As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. [13] Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. [14] “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” [20] and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.” [27] I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. [28] Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
Let your desires for your children align with God's desires.
1 John 5:14
And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.
Prayers that are linked to and align with the advancement of God's kingdom usually seem to be answered faster.
God wants what’s best for our children, and He can do more with our children then we can.
He can better protect them.
He can better teach them.
He can better empower them.
Just like Hannah showed, giving to God what we love most is an act of Faith.
It should not be, “Lord if you do this. I will do that…” Because most of the time we want the blessing, but we are not placing the blessing in God's hands.
Another example of being faithful to God with our children: the story of Abraham and Issac.
We must worship God - not the blessing.
What's born from prayer is born with purpose.
Hannah birthed Samuel into a generation of spiritual confusion. The word of the Lord was rare. Samuel chose to listen when God spoke.
Many want to hear from God; few actually listen.
Samuel’s life teaches us that intimacy with God does not depend on age, position, or circumstances.
God used Samuel to anoint and raise up kings. He was God's prophet to the nation, and he helped defeat Israel's enemies. But his true strength came from his character - loyalty and honor to God. These great qualities were birthed out of his mother’s prayers.
Great stories start with great mothers, and a mothers faith lives on (even after she is gone).
2 Timothy 1:5-7
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
In this verse, Paul is talking to his spiritual son, Timothy. What he is saying is that your faith doesn’t die with you. It can live on in your children and in your children’s children.
What's the greatest thing you can leave behind for your children? Some would say inheritance.
Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
We have all heard the phrase, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." This emphasizes the importance of training and teaching your kids skill sets, but we also need to remember how important it is to teach and SHOW our kids what complete faith in God looks like.
Generational blessings are real.
When you build a bridge, you don't burn it down to make your next generation have to rebuild it.
There is no such thing as the perfect mother or parent. Even Mary lost the Son of God in Luke 2:41-46.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Continue to pray, and one day you will reap the seeds you, as a parent, are sowing. Sometimes God will send someone else to seed or reap, but the prayers of a parent is powerful.
Thank the Lord for great (amazing) mothers and grandmother's and mother figures.
