Godly mothers stand on the wings of the spirit. They are intercessors. They are deep wells of wisdom. They provide courage and inspiration to their families. They are rare to find in our generation, but they still exist in various climes, although in small numbers. You can be part of this elite group of kingdom stalwarts – mothers with the eyes of the spirit and the strength of eagles.
Do you have a praying mother? If you do, celebrate and honour her. Give to her. Prioritise her. She is no longer in the majority.
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I believe that it was my mother’s prayer that saved my life on a day that would have been my last on earth. It was in 2002, on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria that I experienced a very fatal car accident on the back of a motorcycle, popularly called “Okada.” There was an emergency situation I needed to sort out at a new generation bank. The traffic was hell. To meet up with my appointment, I abandoned my vehicle at a safe location and hopped on a motorcycle.
The guy who drove me, who must have been under the influence of alcohol, sped off, entered a one-way lane, and faced a barrage of vehicles. I screamed, but within a split second, I was under the front tires of one of the approaching vehicles. Everyone screamed, “he don kill am.” But with torn clothes and to the utter amazement of onlookers, I stood up.
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Interestingly, there was a Police vehicle on the roadside. The officers rushed to the scene to rescue me, but were shocked to find out that I survived. It was then that they bundled the motorcycle rider into their vehicle and bolted away with him. I stood up and walked away. A few minutes later, my mum called and said to me, “I sensed some danger some minutes back and I started praying for you. I hope you are fine?” I was stunned! Look at the mercy of God in display in broad day light! My mother’s prayer triggered the release of God’s mercies that preserved my life. This is priceless.
History is replete with the exploits of godly mothers who blazed the trail and set the pace for the advancement of God’s kingdom agenda on earth.
Presently, we are at a crossroad, the values that produced great and godly mothers in the past are increasingly being eroded from culture by the forces of humanism, feminism, atheism and, above all, the increased love of sin in the hearts of men. There is now a conflict between culture and scripture. For the genuine daughter of God, the scriptures are sacrosanct about the path to becoming a godly mother. It starts from the new birth, committing your heart to Jesus in what is called “being born again.” Next to this experience is a daily walk with Jesus in His words and in prayer, to produce the right fruits that would shape the right character for becoming a godly mother. Thus, at the root of godly motherhood is godly womanhood.
Every woman must desire to be kingdom minded — it is a guaranteed path to godly motherhood. As we celebrate mothers’ day today, it is imperative for all of us who have benefited from the values and virtues of kingdom mothers to venerate the memory of kingdom mothers. You will hardly find any great man in God’s kingdom whose roots are/were not hooked to the sacrifices of their mothers…
On the other hand, culture, which is diametrically opposed to the tenets of the scriptures, promotes far-reaching secular values for attaining motherhood. Some of the principles and virtues that the Bible emphasises, such as the humility of heart and submission to the husband as unto the Lord in the marriage institution, have all been violated by culture. Adherence to culture promotes carnal womanhood. Adherence to scriptures promotes godly motherhood, which is the unavoidable path of influence and impact in the kingdom of God.
Every woman must desire to be kingdom minded — it is a guaranteed path to godly motherhood. As we celebrate mothers’ day today, it is imperative for all of us who have benefited from the values and virtues of kingdom mothers to venerate the memory of kingdom mothers. You will hardly find any great man in God’s kingdom whose roots are/were not hooked to the sacrifices of their mothers — godly mothers for that matter. History tells us about the incredible impacts of John and Charles Wesley in the revival that swept through England.
The fire of revival that broke out in Great Britian in the late 17th century was fanned from the embers of the Wesleys. But it was their mother, Susanna Wesley, who started this fire, right by her bedside. Susana Wesley had nineteen children for her husband, Samuel Wesley. John Wesley was the fifteenth of these children. For many years, Susanna would pray for each of her children. She birthed their visions on the wings of intercession.
She lost many of them, but God rewarded her faithful intercession by sending the mantle of revival on her son, John Wesley, who later founded the great Methodist church in England. Godly mothers are priceless. Our generation is yet to appreciate the value and impact of godly mothers in the birth of great visions.
To further bridge this gap, let me also tell you more about the exploits of godly mothers in shaping the history of the church.
Morrow Graham, the mother of Evangelist Billy Graham, prayed for and inspired her son into his calling. Katharina Luther inspired the great Martin Luther to prominence.
Any man with these kinds of mothers, either as wives or as parents, is truly blessed by God. They must be cherished, honoured, and rewarded. If you have one, please venerate her. After God, godly mothers, most especially as wives, are the next best factors for success in life. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless. Happy Mothers’ Day.
Ann was the first wife of the great missionary, Adoniram Judson, and before her death she contributed to the revival that broke out through the ministry of Adoniram Judson in the nation of Burma. Ann literarily died in the hands of her husband. While Adoniram was jailed for preaching the gospel, Ann stood with him and by him, combing the bush at night to secretly locate the window of the prison facility that held her husband, just to encourage him.
She would quietly knock the window of the cell and whisper the following words to her husband, “Hang on Adoniram, God will soon give us the victory.” Then she would crawl through the same bush path, back home. While she was dying in the hands of Adoniram, after his release from prison, her last words were still, “hang on Adoniram, God will soon give us the victory.” Adoniram burst into tears and said, “Ann, oh Ann, my dear wife.” He rose up after her death to birth a major revival in Burma, which is still being spoken about till today. Truly, godly mothers are priceless.
Dr CE French told the story of a 98-year-old woman, Sister Mary, who as an intercessor in America in the 1960s, and who revealed the secret of an impending bilateral deal between the US and Turkey. This was then a top secret. Some delegates from Turkey had arrived at the White House to sign some documents with the US president.
A night before the meeting, the Lord showed sister Mary the exact details of the deal in a night vision. She woke up and sent a message to her friend in the White House, who later passed it over to the White House secretary, that should the US president sign that deal, America was going to enter into serious trouble. That same evening, FBI agents stormed Sister Mary’s house, demanding from her the source of her information. They said to her, “you are an agent of the Turkish government.”
After subjecting her to hours of gruelling interrogation, they discovered that the source of her information was beyond any natural means. Surprisingly, the US government changed its mind and bowed to the warnings of Sister Mary. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless.
Godly mothers stand on the wings of the spirit. They are intercessors. They are deep wells of wisdom. They provide courage and inspiration to their families. They are rare to find in our generation, but they still exist in various climes, although in small numbers. You can be part of this elite group of kingdom stalwarts – mothers with the eyes of the spirit and the strength of eagles. Any man with these kinds of mothers, either as wives or as parents, is truly blessed by God. They must be cherished, honoured, and rewarded. If you have one, please venerate her. After God, godly mothers, most especially as wives, are the next best factors for success in life. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless. Happy Mothers’ Day
Ayo Akerele is the Senior Pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected]
