Encouragement for Moms - Nameless Heroes With Hearts of Love
Today is Mother’s Day; a day set aside to honor mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and other women who have been powerful influences in our lives.
Ladies: we thank God for you! You have been influential in the lives of those you touch on a daily basis.
Today we want to say thank you for all the things you have done for us!
Appreciation & Encouragement for All Women With Hearts of Love
Definition of “mom”
mom /mäm/
noun
Hero
Often unappreciated
We Thank God for Nameless Heroes In Our Lives
Today during this COVID virus pandemic we have many frontline first responder heroes; they are nurses, doctors, paramedics, police, firefighters, volunteers, essential workers and caretakers. Many of them are nameless to most of us and yet they put their lives on the line for others. They are nameless heroes that have made a difference and touched lives.
Today is Mother’s Day. Ladies, we thank God for you. You have been so influential in our lives and the lives of those you touch on a daily basis.
Today we want to say thank you for all the things you have done for us which you have never spoken about. To thank you for being that nameless hero, that person who has been at our sides no matter the cost, the one who has always been moved with compassion and love.
I want to read to you a story from Matthew 15. It tells us of a mother who in scripture is nameless to us, but not to her daughter. She is someone who is moved to a place of great faith and is an example for each of us this morning.
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matthew 15:21-28, NIV).
Great Things Happen When We Persevere In Faith
We read that Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, which were gentile cities north of Israel, in order to get away from the crowds for a time; however, I believe it was also to connect with this Canaanite woman.
It was so we could see this woman’s faith being tested and see her persevere in faith. Her Perseverance in faith develops into great faith and her daughter is healed.
Perseverance in faith comes with a cost. For this Canaanite mother the cost is something she was willing to pay: she became humble in spirit.
Most who come to Jesus have needs; and this woman was no different. She desired to see her daughter healed and delivered from the terrible suffering she was experiencing.
All Women Who Have Hearts of Love Are Heroes
This Canaanite mother is no different from moms today, who desire to see their sons, daughters, husbands, family members and others they know to be healed and stop suffering from pain, drugs, alcohol or perhaps some spiritual issue involving sin.
As I said at the beginning of this message “Mothers are Nameless Hero’s with hearts of love”.
You ladies who have no children; many times you are nameless heroes displaying hearts of love, as you go out of your way to care for your husbands and others you know.
Many mothers often go unnoticed in what they do; and some of you have gone on unnoticed for quite a while. The Canaanite woman in this story humbled herself before Jesus, his disciples and others. She cried out to Jesus for mercy and for the healing of her daughter, even as her daughter was unaware of what her mother was doing.
At times we have been unaware of what the ladies in our lives have done for us and we want to acknowledge you and thank you for all you have done for us; how you have cried out to Jesus on our behalf.
Moms: you do so much, and you never consider the cost of your own welfare, but rather you consider the welfare of others.
You sacrifice sleep, pray and call out to Jesus for us without our knowledge. You are women of great faith.
This is exactly what the Canaanite mother did.
Lessons From This Nameless Canaanite Mother
Notice how she cries out to Jesus. However, Jesus does not answer or acknowledge her. Jesus had a purpose for not answering the woman. It was not to discourage her, but rather it was to get her to press in and to persevere, to increase her faith.
Mom’s, do you continue to pray and seek for a move of God in a situations?
Do you keep praying and pressing in for God to answer?
Or do you stop after asking once or twice and then move on?
The heart of this Canaanite mother was to see her daughter healed and that heart of love drove her to seek Jesus. It drove her to:
Overcome life’s negative obstacles and words that might have discouraged her.
We must overcome life’s obstacles.
We should never take silence to be a no.
We need to reject negative words: disregard the physical, emotional, financial, religious obstacles that would keep us from Jesus.
She did not allow Jesus’ silence to stop her from pressing in and seeking the mercy of God.
Just because you do not see or hear the answer immediately does not mean the answer is no…It may simply mean not yet.
It may be Gods way of testing your faith It may be his way of getting you to excrete your faith
I want you to consider that God may be answering your prayer, but just not in the manner you expect.
This Canaanite mother was willing to chance rejection by Jesus and his disciples in order to see her daughter healed.
At times it may appear like you are being rejected when Jesus is simply wanting to develop you into a person of great faith.
Jesus may want to use you to show others how a person of faith walks through difficulties and is still hopeful.
What you might consider as rejection, just may be Gods perfect timing. Look back and you can see his hand in the situation.
Press In, Keep Praying, Keep Believing & Trust In God
The trouble and trials that you are facing may be the very thing that gives you reason to seek the Lord. The trial or trouble you experience may be the very motivation you need to turn to Jesus.
Look around and see what direction God may be leading you. Press in; try every door know and see what door opens. Keep praying; keep believing; keep trusting the Lord and he will open the door he desires you to walk through. This is exactly what the Canaanite mother was doing.
I want to challenge you to call out to Jesus and pray; cry out for the mercy of God. Don’t get discouraged if you do not hear or see anything happening immediately.
Moms: you are our heroes
Thank you for praying for us.
Thank you for pressing in and not walking away or giving up in prayer.
Thank you for your selfless acts of love.
Thank you for your faith in Christ and how it has touched our lives.
Let me encourage all of you to be a spiritual unnamed hero who prays for those who need a touch of God in their lives. Be a woman of faith who calls out to God. Press in and believe God for a miracle.
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