House of Hope Online

May 12, 2024

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Happy Mother’s Day!  I sincerely hope that all of you are able to honor your moms today in some way, and I hope those of you who are mothers are blessed by the love of your families.

Before we start into the word of the Lord for today, I want to intercede for those who might be sad today because their mother is deceased or suffering from disease, or perhaps their relationship with mom has suffered emotional injury.  We ask the Father, in Jesus’ name, to lift any grief or emotional strain, and replace that pain with pleasant memories of the days when love manifested.  And we pray that the One who restores all things and makes all things new would bring forth the Spirit of forgiveness and heal maternal relationships.  Amen.

The word that the Lord gave me today is “A Mother’s Heart.”  There is something special about the heart of the one who gave birth to you.  We know the personal sacrifice that she made to give birth, but the love of a mom does not stop there.  A mother continues to cherish her children, to pray for the Lord’s best, and to treasure things in her heart about each of her children, long after she gives birth.

There are four things about a mother’s heart that I want to share with you today.

1.  A Mother’s Heart Praises God for Her Child

A mother’s heart will give praise to the Lord for the gift of her child in the womb.  Perhaps there is no better example of this than Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In Luke 1, we see that Mary, who just learned that she conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit, visited Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist.  After breaking the news to Elizabeth, Mary goes into an anointed time of praise to God because He has blessed her with the Son in her womb.

Luke 1:

 46 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,

 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

 48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

 49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

A mother’s heart rejoices and exalts the Lord and counts herself blessed.  Her pregnancy is a great thing that the Lord has done for her, and she knows it well.

2.  A Mother’s Heart Treasures Things about Her Child

The scriptures also tell us that Mary treasured things in her heart about her Son Jesus.  In Luke 2, we see the story of the shepherds visiting Jesus and relaying to Mary and Joseph what the angels had revealed to them about their Child.

Luke 2:

  16 And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

 17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

The shepherds had just told Mary what the angels had said: that Jesus would be the Savior.  A mother’s heart will treasure the prophecies that God speaks over her child.  I remember prophecies spoken over our children back in the day, and how Nancy treasured all those things in her heart.  That’s what a mother’s heart does.  It treasures and ponders what the will of God is for her child, and she does whatever she can to pursue that destiny.

3.  A Mother’s Heart Pursues Her Child’s Well-Being

As a protector, a mother’s heart pursues her child’s well-being.  This is especially true during the difficult years of child-rearing. 

There is an interesting story about pre-teen Jesus and His mother’s heart in Luke 2.

Luke 2:

 40 And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

 41 ¶ And His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

 42 And when He became twelve, they went up [there] according to the custom of the Feast;

 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And His parents were unaware of it,

 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they [began] looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

 45 And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him.

 46 And it came about that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.

 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

 48 And when they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”

 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s [house?”]

 50 And they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.

 51 And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all [these] things in her heart.

 52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (NASB)

I love this story because it bears witness that Jesus, who is God, really became man, and Mary really had a heart for her child, and worried about Him, as any mother would, even though He was God.  Verses 42 and 43 tell us that Jesus was pre-teen and like a lot of pre-teens, He did things that His parents were not aware of – He stayed behind in Jerusalem.  As a parent, I can imagine the dismay that Mary felt, perhaps fearing the worst.

Mary knew in her heart the destiny that God had anointed for her Son, and when they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.  It took three days to find Him in the temple.  Can you imagine the dread in His mother’s heart?  In verse 48, she scolded Him for mistreating His parents, and she admitted to being anxious.

I love verse 49, Jesus transforms from pre-teen to Mary’s Lord and Savior.  He questioned her faith:  “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s [house?”]  In other words, did you forget what the angel told you, and what the angels told the shepherds about me?  Of course, I was in the temple.

Verse 51 says Jesus continued in subjection to His parents, and what a word that is for any child today.  Jesus is God, He knew things that His parents did not understand, and He nevertheless humbled Himself and remained in subjection to His parents. And His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

4.  A Mother’s Heart Has God’s Compassion

Isaiah 49:

 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

I remember when we had young infants, Nancy breastfed each one.  We had the opportunity to take some business / pleasure trips during those nursing times, and I was all in on the idea of getting away.  But Nancy’s heart could not forget her nursing child.  The trip did not have the same appeal to her because she could not forget about that child, who depended on her for nourishment.

In Isaiah 49, God uses the analogy of a nurturing mother to illustrate His compassion for us.  That is the way He thinks of us – as children who need Him and depend on Him for provision.  He will never forsake us.

And we need to remember that our mother’s heart has that same compassion for us.  That’s why Isaiah’s word of the Lord used the analogy.  When we hurt, our mother hurts.  When we are joyful, our mom rejoices.  Our mother’s heart will not forget the child of her womb.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for our mothers.  We pray they will be honored and blessed today.  Thank You for our mother’s heart, which praises you, treasures all things, pursues our well-being, and has compassion for us, just as You do.  We give you praise for mom, and we intercede for all those whose relationship with their mother needs restored, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.