Hannah

Mothers in the Bible Were So Inspiring

Today is Mother’s Day ! We hope you are cherishing and loving your mother today—or if that isn’t possible, to remember the beauty, grace, and love your mother had, or somebody in your life who embodies the grace and wisdom we associate with godly mothers.

The Bible speaks highly of mothers who raise children and guide their families in a righteous manner; in Proverbs 31, the “wife of noble character” is honored by her husband and children for her character and virtue.

Not every woman who wants children is granted her wish, and motherhood wasn’t a requirement for godly women in Bible times—and just as today.  But the mothers of the Bible exhibit qualities that all of us, male or female, parent or not, should strive to apply to our own lives.

Here are a few of the famous mothers of the Bible:

1. Hannah

Hannah is one of the most inspiring mothers in the Bible, but she doesn’t get the credit she deserves in my opinion. Though she weeped and cried out to God for years and years, she remained unable to have a child. Hannah had to deal with the pain and jealousy of sharing her husband with a woman who was giving him many children and who hated her. One day “in her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly”—and God answered her prayer at last. Hannah’s character was questioned and challenged, but ultimately she exemplified the sacrificial love a mother has for her children when she dedicated her newborn son to the House of the Lord. Her son would one day become one of Israel’s greatest prophets. Read her story in 1 Samuel 1.

2. Elizabeth

Elizabeth was a godly woman who was “righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly”—and yet she and her husband were unable to conceive a child. God answered her prayers late in her life and she gave birth to John the Baptist, but is perhaps best known for her prophetic encouragement over Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1).

3. Sarah

Sarah is one of the great matriarchs of the Bible—yet most of her life was spent without a child. She was told that she would have a child so late in her life that her only reaction to God’s promise was to laugh (Genesis 18). But God spoke, and against all odds, she did give birth to a son. Amazingly, this promised lineage lead all the way to Jesus!

4. Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Perhaps no more famous mother exists than Mary, who at a young age learned from an angel that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. Her song of praise in response, and the well-known events of Christ’s birth, are what usually spring to mind when we think of Mary. But her role as mother brought her grief as well ; none of us can imagine the pain of watching your innocent son get crucified.

There are many more famous mothers described in the Bible; many of them righteous, some not so much, but all used by God to bring about His glory. Today, as you give thanks to the mothers that God has placed in your life, think about how hard it really is to embody the traits that define a godly mother—patience, kindheartedness, faithfulness—and let’s think about how we can try to hold ourselves to those same standards.

Challenge:

How you can encourage the mothers in your community as they work to meet that same standard?