Above And Beyond

The Lord is good. Mercy endures forever. The power of His name need be exalted.

There's such a wonderful atmosphere in here this morning.

The Spirit of God is moving. Hearts are exalting His name.

Where He is lifted up, He comes near.

Today is a special day. Go ahead and just reach and get your Bible and be turning with me to Proverbs 31.

We'll get the offering before we leave. If I forget to do that before you leave, the pails will be here.

Just don't forget to give the Lord what He is. Amen.

There are rare occasions through the course of a year in service and worship.

Not that the worship and our giving would be an interruption, but there are times that that's not the precedented thing to do at the moment.

Amen. That's where we're at today.

It's just not the precedented time and moment to receive of our worship and giving, but the worship in His Word.

I feel like the Lord's really wanting to do something in here this morning.

I feel like He's giving me a word to share that's particularly related to the ladies in the house and all the mothers in the house.

His Word relates to us all. Amen.

I feel as though the Lord's going to want to move in our altars today and touch in our lives.

Church statisticians and everyone who claims to know what they're talking about say that you're not supposed to call people out,

have people stand, do different things of that nature to draw attention to them.

But this morning, I honor motherhood. I honor motherhood.

There are many forms and facets of motherhood. Are you with me?

And it's it's revealed through scripture. So I honor you today.

And if if you're here this morning and your mother has already deceased and going on and not with you physically before you leave this morning,

I want you to take one of these white roses with you. And I know it's a hard day. It's a difficult morning for a lot of folk.

And so I thank you for being here. For some, it was a battle just to get up and get here on this day.

So I thank you so much for being here this morning.

And so please take one of those with you today as we honor you and where you're standing this morning.

Amen. Proverbs, chapter thirty one.

I try not to touch thirty one at Mother's Day, but I'm going to take the last three verses.

Proverbs thirty one, if we're not careful when you get into Proverbs thirty one, you you can leave.

You can leave a service hearing a message preached on Proverb thirty one.

What meant to encourage you could just really you look at yourself and say, well, I can't measure up to that.

I mean, Proverbs thirty one, but there's only one Proverbs thirty one.

I'm just saying it's possible. Verse twenty nine reads.

Many daughters have done virtuously. But you excel them all.

Favor or charm is deceitful and beauty is vain.

The woman that fear the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands.

Let her own works praise her in the gates.

For just a little while, I want to talk to us on this thought above and beyond.

I'm going to use some biblical examples this morning.

And then we're going to move into a time of prayer.

I'm going to try to be brief on my end for I really feel like the Lord wants to touch some hearts in this place today.

I know it's a special Sunday. I know it's a holiday, if you will.

But we have you have us together.

We have opened up something in the heavens.

And the dearness of the Lord is here.

And he wants to touch lives before we leave here this morning.

He's already done a work. He's already touched in hearts.

But before we leave, I think the Lord has something great for you.

Father, I love you and I thank you.

I thank you for your word.

Lord, I thank you for what I feel. I don't know which way.

I feel like you're turning me inside out this morning.

And as our attention is on you and your presence is so near in this house,

I pray, Lord, that you would touch those that hear your word.

Touch me this morning, Father, with a liberty that causes it to be easy to preach.

Let that anointing flow stir that unction as I stir myself today.

We praise you and we glorify you.

In Christ's holy and mighty name.

And the church said, Amen, you can be seated, but just be mindful of the presence of the Lord.

If the Lord speaks to you this morning, male or female, we're going to concentrate on the mothers.

But it doesn't matter. You're a child of God this morning.

And his word applies to each of us. Amen.

As we pause this morning, we're going to take a look at some very extraordinary mothers in the Bible.

Mothers who went above and beyond.

These women obeyed God's calling.

They served. They sacrificed.

They build a life of faith for their families.

And there's so much that we can glean from the examples that we're going to give and so many more that we won't be able to touch on.

But we can learn from their struggle.

We can learn from the lives that they live, lives of faith.

I looked up some surveys.

What moms really want for Mother's Day.

One particular surveyed over 2000 ladies.

Fifty eight percent of them said they just really want free time.

Some alone time.

Another survey, 30 percent said they just wanted to sleep uninterrupted.

Very close to that was a clean house that they didn't clean.

Nowhere on the list and the surveys that I looked at in red had roses.

There were a few to three percent wanted a night out.

Chocolate was nowhere to be found.

But it's the simplest things that mother wants.

Sleep. Above and beyond.

This mother, this wife, this woman that's mentioned in Proverbs 31.

When you begin to look at early in the chapter and read through, she's she has this glowing resume.

I mean, when you read her story, you wonder if she does sleep.

All the stuff that this woman does, there's no way there's time to sleep.

She keeps the house. She works. She has a business.

She tends to cheer and she loves her husband, takes care of him and does all that stuff.

And then we read where that she excels them all.

That's a mouthful in it.

This Proverb 31 woman has gone above and beyond.

And she gives an example.

But like I said earlier, if you look and read that example, if you're not careful, the enemy will jump up on your left shoulder

and begin to whisper in your left ear why God's trying to speak into your right ear.

But he begins to shout in your ear, well, that ain't you.

Right. You stumped your toe over the mess in the floor trying to get to the children last night.

You had to feed them cereal. Didn't have time to fix gravy and biscuits.

I heard somebody had a good breakfast this morning.

Boys of the house got up, cooked mama breakfast.

Good job, gentlemen.

But if we're not careful, the enemy can cause us to feel diminished because we feel as though

we cannot live up to the measure of this Proverbs 31 woman.

In almost 30 years of ministry, this is the first time I've even taken partially my text for Mother's Day problems,

Proverbs 31.

Simply because of that, because we're not careful, we can relay some of these expectations.

Right.

That may not be achievable.

And we can leave feeling worse than when we came in, but I'm going to talk to you about some ladies today

who simply just built their faith the best that they could.

And there's 10 of them, and I know we're not going to touch all 10 of them, but there are 10 on this list

that I have for you today, and there's only one Proverb 31 lady.

But there's 10 other examples of women who did the very best they could, and they lived out their faith,

and God honored them, and God had favor on their life, and God blessed them, and He raised them up,

and He met them in their hour and their time of need.

Even so, as this Proverb 31 lady, their faith is exemplary to us today, each and every one of us.

The first mother that we would look at would be Sarah, the mother who waited.

You know Sarah's story, married to Abraham, and how God promised her that she would have a child,

as He would promise Abraham that He would have seed and a posterity to follow after him,

and how that she would overhear the comments of the fire, and she would be hiding in the tent,

and she would chuckle and laugh because she had already waited 15 years, and then 10 years later

she gets another in this 15-year period, she gets another promise, just keep on waiting.

Mama, can I tell you, sometimes you gotta wait longer than you really deserve to wait, amen?

You gotta wait longer than you want to wait, but there is virtue in the waiting, there is favor in the waiting.

God's hand will meet you in the waiting. When you're waiting and it feels like it's been too long, just keep on waiting.

Sarah overheard as Abraham received a confirmation, she chuckled and she laughed to herself

because she knew her age and she knew Abraham's age, are you with me?

And she knew it was going to be more difficult for Abraham than it was going to be for her own self,

and then 10 years later, I'm telling you, God moved in a mighty way, and she brings a son into this world,

and she said, the Lord has caused me to laugh, and it's going to cause everyone to hear about this, to laugh,

and they're going to chuckle, and I'm just going to go ahead and name this boy Isaac, which means son of my laughter.

I'm here to tell you, there's some things that you've been waiting for, there's some things that you've been waiting on,

and don't give up your waiting because God is in the tarrying, and he's going to reaffirm and reaffirm

as many times as he has to, to let you know his word is good for you, and his promise is good for you,

so you just keep on waiting. You may laugh in your heart, you may laugh in your mind,

but you just keep on laughing because one of these days, God is going to have the last laugh in your life.

Son of my laughter, everybody's going to get a kick out of this.

Couldn't you see you sitting in the city gate and Abraham's friends come by?

Way to go, Abe. 99-year-old son, didn't they have it in you?

Everybody's getting a kick out of that. I'm telling you, when God gets finished with you,

I said when God gets finished with you, everybody else is just going to have to get the last laugh

because God knows your patience while you're enduring. I didn't say she waited well,

I didn't say her patience was virtuous, I said she waited. She had to have confirmation halfway through,

a little over, she had to have another affirming word from God to stir her faith and to keep her faith going,

and if that's where you are this morning, that's quite alright because God knows what you need when you need it

and where to get it to you at. And if you need affirmation this morning to keep on waiting

because it hadn't happened, here it is this morning. Wait on the Lord, wait patiently on the Lord.

He's going to hear your cry, He's going to hear your plea, He's going to move and He's going to answer.

If He's made a promise to you, rest assured the whole world will laugh in the face of the enemy

because God brings it to pass. I think she went above and beyond.

Extraordinary faith, a faith that has to be renewed, refreshed, and from time to time restored.

So if you're sitting here this morning thinking, well I haven't waited too well, I haven't waited too diligently,

I haven't waited too patiently, that's alright, neither did Sarah, and it didn't hinder God's promise in her life,

Hallelujah, and it won't hinder God's promise in your life either. If He's made it, He's going to be good for it

because He's not a man that He should lie, He's God, God of righteousness and God of truth,

and He'll keep His word to every generation.

Next, this is one of my favorite scriptures. It's an odd choice, but it's Hagar.

Hagar is one of my favorite stories of motherhood in the scripture.

Hagar was a little slave girl. Motherhood was forced upon Hagar.

Hagar lived a bitter life. She lived a hard life. She lived a life of turmoil.

Her mistress was out to get her. Always. She lived a difficult time.

She lived a difficult task, but I'm here to tell you, God knows the road that you travel.

Hallelujah, and Hagar was a woman who waited with endurance. Sometimes you have to endure.

Oh, nowhere in scripture does the Bible say it's going to be a rosy pathway.

You may have to walk on the thorns, but it may not be the petals of the rose.

You may have to make your way through the thorns, and this is where Hagar is,

and Hagar doesn't even know who this God is that everybody in the tent is supposed to be worshipping.

She has to have her own encounter with Jehovah God, and Hagar had her encounter.

Oh, as she runs away, she's at plight. She's trying to make her escape, and then God sees her,

and God sends her back into her trouble, sends her right back into the war zone.

Somebody in here may be trying to escape the war zone of life that is around you,

and you may think you've gotten away until God said, turn around and go back in there.

Oh, isn't it wonderful to know that God has purpose for you in the middle of your war zone?

I know we don't understand it. Oh, God, why can't I get out of here?

God, why can't you deliver me? Why do I have to keep on putting up with this mistreatment?

Why, why, why? Because God's got to work for you. God's got to promise for you.

God had sent her for Hagar in the middle of her trouble. You must endure.

God sent her right back into the middle of her dilemma.

Then when she brings this child into the world, you think it'd get better? No, it only got worse.

It got worse for Hagar. Her mistreatment grew.

And then one day she's driven away, put out, run off. Hello.

She's ran off after enduring all that she endured. She's driven out.

They're in a desert land. Her young son is crying from thirst so that she wouldn't have to listen to it.

She put him off a distance under the shade and tried to get away from the cries of her only son.

And then God speaks to her out of heaven.

Hagar, I hear you, honey. I hear you. I hear you cry.

And that boy of yours is going to be something great. I'm not going to let him die in this wilderness.

You've been faithful, Hagar. You've endured, Hagar. You've been mistreated, Hagar.

They've talked about you. They scorned you. They worked you like a dog and they've run you out.

But I am the God who sees you. And that would be what Hagar says.

This place shall be called El Rohe because he is the God who sees my Lord.

But that's not the greatest point of her story. It is there that she says, I will turn and see the God who has seen me.

What are you saying, preacher? I'm saying Hagar had an encounter in a wilderness place.

She had an encounter with God who had made a promise to her. She endured.

You may have to endure, mama. You may have to endure some heartache, hardship.

You may have to endure some things that you don't want to endure, but you just keep on keeping on.

Why, pastor? Why should I? Because God sees you. He sees your dilemma.

He sees your hurt. He sees your mistreatment. And he's already spoken a word to you.

And he will fulfill the word that he has spoken into your life.

So hang on, Hagar's. Endure.

Next, above and beyond. That's above and beyond, if there ever was.

The next lady we look at is Rebecca, the mother who believed.

Think about Rebecca. She had great faith in her obedience to God.

When Isaac's servant told her of the man who wanted to marry her, Genesis 25 tells us Rebecca became pregnant.

She could feel these babies inside her womb wrestling.

She's going to bring twins into this world. Isaac's going to be blessed.

But yet in this going on inside her, she cries out to God and says, God, what's going on?

What's happening to me? What's going on with what's inside me?

God says, just be at ease, Rebecca, because there's two nations struggling inside of you.

There's two nations in there. And here's what's going to happen before it's over and said and done with.

The elder is going to serve the younger before it's all over and done with.

So this struggle and this strife is not just going to be in the womb.

But you see when Esau and Jacob are born, Esau is very red.

And when he comes out, his brother Jacob has a hold of his heel.

In other words, you're not getting out without me.

Jacob's name means heel snatcher or or supplanter.

He was going to be a mischievous young man.

He was going to be a mama's boy. And Esau was going to be a daddy's boy.

But still in Rebecca's mind, in her hearing, in her heart, she's heard what the Lord had spoke to her.

What was going to happen one day.

I used to give her a very difficult going about when she falls into the plot with her younger son, Jacob,

when she falls into the plot with him.

Now, notice it wasn't really Jacob's fault, nor was it Rebecca's fault.

I think the blame has to go on Esau, who was impetuous when he came out of the wilderness and he was hungry.

He thought he was starving to death.

And he comes up on the camp of his brother, who's got some soup on the fire.

And before he knows it, he's bartered away the birthright.

You've got to understand the power that's in the birthright.

The birthright is a double blessing.

The one who carries the name of the family upon their shoulder and he traded away for a bowl of pea soup.

And Jacob never forgot it.

And when the time of blessing, when Isaac is about to leave this world and he calls his two sons in,

Rebecca, the mother, falls into the plot with her son, Jacob, and sends him out to get the stuff that his father liked to eat.

And she made him up some wool and hair sleeves on his arm because, oh, Isaac is so blind,

he can't see in half-depth and can't hear, but he can feel, which was his son Esau.

I used to give Rebecca a hard time for her part in the deception of Isaac

until you realize probably what was in the heart of Rebecca.

Jacob is supposed to be the leader.

Esau is supposed to follow.

And she has this war within herself with this deception.

Now, my honest feeling is this.

I really don't think God needed Rebecca to get involved.

Hello.

I really think that the God of glory would have worked it out in his own way.

But you know, the love of a mama, and especially over a mama's boy.

Hello.

We got one.

The girl's Italian.

She favors him.

Truth.

Truth.

God could have handled it without Rebecca getting involved.

But Rebecca believed.

She believed what God said about these two struggling within her.

Mama, keep on believing whatever God has told you about the struggle that was within you.

Sometimes it's a spiritual struggle over your sons and daughters.

Sometimes it's a birthing of spiritual things in your life.

And if God has spoken something to you over the struggle that's been going on inside of you,

then you can just believe God for his word.

He's going to see that it comes to pass.

He's going to see that it's fulfilled.

You don't have to get involved.

Just believe.

I didn't want you to think for a moment that you're getting permission to get involved in God's business.

Just because Rebecca did.

Because there was some hardship after that.

Jacob had to flee for his life from his own brother.

Right?

But it would be in that fleeing that he would ultimately meet God.

Rebecca, we've got six more to go.

You still with me?

You see why I didn't take the offer up now?

Fourth, that goes above and beyond, is a woman by the name of Rachel.

Rachel was the favorite over her sister Leah.

Her father Laban deceived.

So Leah's put in an awkward position.

Leah is struggling for Jacob's love.

Doing everything she can do.

Naming her sons after each move as to what God would do and hopefully do and draw Jacob to her.

Until she finally has a boy and they name him Judah.

She's saying praise, she said I'm just going to forget about Jacob's love because I believe God loves me.

And I'm just going to praise him.

Because he's had favor on me.

Rachel in turn is barren but ends up having two sons.

Rachel is a woman who has the love that she requires but yet is still empty from what she desired.

And to go above and beyond.

To patiently wait.

To endure.

To endure some of the same treatment that Hagar had to endure.

Rachel is spurned because of the favor and love that Jacob shows her.

She brings the first son.

His name is Joseph.

Now just to show you how God blesses in spite of everything else and all those around you.

You know the story little Joseph.

You know the story of Joseph becoming second under Pharaoh in all of Egypt.

But in the midst of that story and why Joseph is gone.

Rachel has another son, Benanai.

And in bringing Benanai into this world.

She dies.

In the last breath she names him Benanai and when Jacob comes into the tent and asks for his name.

She called him Benanai and he grabs that boy up and says no.

His name is Benjamin.

Because Benanai means son of my sorrow.

In her sorrow and dying in childbirth.

She brings him in and in that great sorrow with her last breath she said this is the son of my sorrow.

But Jacob comes in and says no his name is Benjamin.

He will not be cursed with sorrow but he is the son of my right hand.

Hallelujah.

I'm here to tell you.

You've got to keep on trusting God and allow God to do some great things in your life.

What you may see is sorrow.

God may see his great value.

Yoshabed.

The mother of Moses which you don't find that out right up front.

She's just identified as a Levi woman.

Who has a son.

It's after the decree Egypt is in fear of all the Israelites because they're growing bountifully.

And they're afraid that if they ever decide to rise up they can overtake us.

So Pharaoh calls the midwives of Egypt in.

He says every male child that is born of the Hebrews cast them into the Nile.

But even in Egypt there was some sense of conviction.

My God that ought to help you.

That ought to do something for you.

Even in the Egypt of the world in which we live which Egypt represents sin and bondage.

And we see the world and society and culture in which we are living in.

Even in the Egypt of our day there's still some resolve of conviction.

So they could do it.

Moses is growing.

His name isn't even Moses yet.

His name isn't mentioned until after he's brought out of the Nile.

So Yoshabin was a mother with a plan.

And she worked out that plan.

She wove that basket and sealed the inside with thatch so that it wouldn't leak.

And then she cast him out on the Nile.

Now isn't that the way we do when they get of age?

Hello?

I don't know about nowadays they're 35 and yet to be cast.

Children, hear you pastor, grow up, be a man, be a woman and move out.

I'm trying to help somebody.

I'm trying to help you.

Mama let them go.

You can't tie your apron string to the basket when you send them and reel them back.

Because it's faith that you release them in.

It's trust in God that you release them in to the world.

Trusting that you have done well enough.

And you wonder and you wonder.

But God is watching over them.

He's watching over them.

He watched over Moses of all people to find him.

It was Pharaoh's own daughter who knew the decree of her Pharaoh

and yet fell in with the plot to hide him.

And just to show you how God works.

She needed a nursemaid.

She couldn't just take him into the palace.

Find me a nursemaid.

Moses' sister had been traveling down watching after him too.

So she tells the daughter I know someone who will be great at the job.

Yoshua Beth, his own mama, was able to nurse him and raise him

because she had faith and trust in God enough to cast him out onto the Nile

and let God take care of her.

You can turn them loose mama.

You can let them go and let God take care of them.

They'll have to make their way in and out of the bull rush on their own.

But the God of glory is watching over each of them.

It's been said that the father only worries when a child breaks a bone.

But a mother worries over the skin and the knee.

Right?

I've said it many a time, well you ain't bleeding that bad, go on.

True story.

You'll be alright.

Too far from your heart to kill you.

Go on.

But that's not the treatment if mama gets there first.

Or you can get them back out the door.

What's wrong with them?

Well, they are.

Skin, knee, and they come in with a big honk, go on.

Here you go.

He'll grow back.

It's the truth.

Trust God.

Well, you trust your husband or not.

I look around and see some of the little bitty babies in there.

I wonder, brethren, how much true alone time you get with them.

They don't trust you, guys.

As long as they're looking at you, you're fine.

I've got to go to the store.

Well, I'll just keep you.

No, I'll just take a women.

What mother in right mind ever says that?

That's the one that's afraid to leave them home with daddy.

I'll just take a women.

They're kicking, screaming, snorting and all this.

I'll just take a women.

That means you don't trust me.

But you can trust God.

Go above and beyond and release them and let God take care of them.

It's hard, it hurts, and it's painful, but let God.

You've instilled God in them.

They're going to have to be like a Hagar.

They're going to have to have their own experience.

They're going to have to see the God who sees them.

Realize without him, they're lost.

Without him, they are nothing.

What do I do?

You pray.

That's what you do.

You think you praying for them now?

Where do you put them out on the now?

Where do you put them out into the world?

Where do you have to cut the string and let them go?

You haven't even started to pray yet.

There's no prayer like a mama's prayer when you don't know where they are or what they're doing.

Samson's mama is the next one.

Go above and beyond.

Truly let God and trust God.

You can trust him.

You can trust him.

Samson's mother is the mother who followed the rules.

She's never mentioned by name in the book of Judges.

Some scholars believe in 1st Chronicles 4 she may be mentioned.

Not known truly for sure.

But in Judges 13, the angel of the Lord appeared unto her and said,

You are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.

Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink that you do not eat anything unclean.

You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor.

Because the boy is to be a Nazarite dedicated to God from the womb.

He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hand of the Philistines.

How do we know she followed the rules?

Because Samson took the lead in leading Israel and defeating the Philistines.

Until he revealed the source of his anointing.

She followed the rules.

What does that mean?

If God has spoken some things into your life concerning your children.

Go by the letter of what he is spoken to you.

What if he's not spoken indefinitely as he did her?

Get the word in the book of life and see what he has declared for you to speak into their life.

And the direction that you are to lead them in and follow to the greatest detail.

Samson's mother above and beyond follow the rules and Samson delivers Israel.

We think about Naomi who goes above and beyond.

Naomi is not known for her children.

But in how she reacted to another's.

She is the mother-in-law who went above and beyond.

They leave Bethlehem for Moab.

Bethlehem means house of bread.

Moab is a place who wouldn't even offer the children of Israel bread when they were escaping Egypt.

They were to have nothing to do with the Moabites.

But her husband takes her and her two boys to Moab.

And within ten years her husband, both sons are dead.

She has two daughters-in-law who evidently they have a great relationship for they stay with her.

Then one day Naomi gets news.

The news is there's bread in the house of bread.

The news is the famine in Bethlehem is over.

You can go home.

You can make your way home.

God is blessing your home again.

And you can make your way home again.

Somebody needs to hear this morning.

You can make your way home again.

Hallelujah.

I said you can make your way home again.

For God is moving.

God is blessing.

God is touching.

And you can make your way home again.

She calls her daughter-in-law's to release them to their own land, their own family, their own country.

People they know and love.

One turns and walks away, gives her a hug and a kiss and goes home.

But you know the story of Ruth.

It's Ruth who declares to Naomi, no, I'm going with you.

Your home going to be my home.

Your people are going to be my people.

Here's the kicker.

Your God is going to be my God.

And where they bury you, that's where they're going to bury me.

So Naomi makes her way back home.

She wants to change her name to Mara because she's all bitter.

But you can't make bitterness where God's blessing is.

And because God is going to smile upon her.

Oh, she instructs Ruth to go through the kinsman's field.

I don't have time to preach all this.

You got to go read about it.

Read the Book of Ruth.

She makes her way through the fields of Boaz.

And as she's in the field of Boaz, all of a sudden she catches the eye of Boaz.

And Boaz says, who is that little Moabite girl over there?

Who is she?

That's Naomi's daughter-in-law.

She married?

No, he dead.

Good.

What am I supposed to do, Naomi?

Twinkle your eyes, honey.

Bat them lashes.

Boaz is the eldest kinsman of my family.

Oh, my Lord.

He's the only one that can redeem us out of our situation.

And not only did she bat her eyes, but Boaz saw it.

He calls his servants and said, look, whatever aisle she's in,

leave a few handfuls on purpose.

I want that girl blessed.

And she's cousin's daughter-in-law.

And I'm going to bless them.

You bless her.

And you bless the boy.

And that boy is called Jesse.

And Jesse is the only one he's got.

What's the story?

The story is that as long as the short of it is,

she marries him and they bring an old boy into the world

named Obed.

And Obed has a boy named Jesse and Jesse has a boy named David.

And David has a descendant.

45 generations later, his name is Je-

Oh, you never go into Mother's Day thinking you're going to hit a flat back spin.

You're talking about above and beyond.

Trust faith and trust in God.

Oh, Hannah, y'all got time?

What time is it?

Oh, it's just 12 o'clock.

You good.

Hannah, the mother who kept her promise.

We got Hannah's in this room.

Hannah was buried.

Hannah prayed.

They went to church every time that church was in order for their day.

They didn't miss every year.

They went.

They sacrificed, they offered, they worshiped, and they praised.

She's so caught up in prayer.

She'd been fasting.

She's praying but no words are coming out.

She's weaving and the priest sees her.

Little did Eli know that his help was about to show up.

He sure couldn't trust Hoth9 Phinus.

He rebukes her and scolds her, calls her drunken.

I'm not drunk, I'm just praying.

My God, wouldn't it do us to pray until we couldn't stand under the power again?

Wouldn't it do us good to get in fasting mode and pray until somebody thinks we've lost

our mind?

Hannah gets her promise.

Hannah brings this young man by the name of Samuel into the world.

When he's brought into this world, she made God a promise.

If you give me one, I'll give him back to you to serve you all the days of his life

if you'll just bless me.

She shows back up in front of old Eli.

You hear the boy right here just rubbing it in his face.

He's forsaking God, going through the motions of high priest.

You know the story.

She kept her promise when he was of age and brought him and left him at the house of God.

You understand why the symbolism is behind our child dedication, right?

Because of the precious, precious gifts that we are blessed with, we dedicate them back

into the Lord.

That's what it's about.

Telling God we're grateful and we acknowledge his blessings.

He would be laying in that place at the house of God.

As a young man, he would hear a voice in the night and awaken.

He would run to the priest.

You called Eli.

I didn't call you, boy.

Go lay down.

Second time he runs in, you called Eli.

Boy, don't bother me again.

Go back to bed.

He comes running a third time for he hears his name called.

Finally, the old priest realizes it's the voice of God.

I'm going to keep your promise.

Keep your promises because you never know when the voice of God is going to reach you.

Elizabeth, mother who believed for miracles.

It would be Zacharias who would have the problem in believing.

Elizabeth believed.

It would be she who would birth the last Old Testament prophet, John the Baptist.

It would be she that would be touched by the Holy Ghost upon receiving the salutation from

her cousin Mary that she too was with child.

Believe for miracles.

As I dare say, some of the situations that we find ourselves in will take nothing short

than the miraculous power of God to deliver them.

I'm telling you, I feel the Lord in his house.

The last but not the least would be Mary herself.

It would be young Mary who would be called blessed.

It would be young Mary who would sing her song.

But it would also be Mary who would give us the greatest instruction that any mother has

ever given.

Whatsoever he sayeth unto you, do it.

There's no greater instruction than can be received.

Then whatever the master speaks to you, just do it.

Stand all over this house.

Oh, Jesus.

I've rehearsed in my mind this moment all week as to how I'll go about the close of

this service.

It is Mother's Day.

And trust me, I understand the magnitude of all that contains.

The joy, the sadness, the pain.

Those days when you feel inadequate, like you just don't measure up.

Well, with God on your side, you too can go above and beyond.

How, pastor?

It's not that you run a business like the Proverbs 31, Mother, but you may.

And if you do, I pray bountiful blessings upon your business.

You may be a hagar.

You've had to endure.

You may have even had to endure the shame that was put on you by someone else.

But it's not your shame.

My God, I feel the Holy Ghost.

Father, I love you this morning.

God, I pray you speak to hearts this morning.

I know you have spoken.

I know you have touched.

Because I've felt your anointing flow out of me today.

There's yearning hearts in this room.

Pain ridden.

Those feeling inadequate.

The enemy has laid a heavy weight on them.

But you said, come unto me if you're heavy laden and I'll give you rest.

The survey said they just wanted to rest.

If you need a respite this morning, I want you to come and line up across this front.

Ladies first.

If you just need to feel a respite, a spiritual break that the load has just picked up just

for a moment, come on.

If the enemy sat on your shoulder and whispered all the things that you feel like you're not

and you're working diligently to do the best you can, come on.

The Lord wants to touch you this morning.

The Lord wants to move on you.

If you're here today, maybe your heart's desire is to be a mother and you've not been able

to become and your heart broken, come on.

If you're here today and you may be a Pharaoh's daughter, you've pulled one out.

She called him Moses, meaning she's pulled him out.

Maybe you've pulled one out.

Your heart's heavy.

The burden is none the lighter.

The responsibility is as great.

This place, I feel Jesus.

I feel Jesus.

I feel Jesus.

Stretch your hands this way, would you?

In this place.

Father God, as your daughters of faith have stepped out this morning, add your grace as

they go above and beyond.

If you feel powerless this morning, you're not alone.

You are our grace and you are our strength this morning, Lord.

I feel as though they've run through the rapids on the Nile.

I feel as though they've been taken away.

I feel as though they've been taken away and I feel powerless.

Powerless.

But mighty God, mighty God within me, oh God, I trust you.

I trust you, Lord.

I trust you, Lord.

Hallelujah.

I trust you, Lord.

I feel Jesus.

I trust you, Lord.

Oh, I feel Jesus, Father, in this place.

Hallelujah.

Soldiers, burn within me.

I feel Jesus in this place.

One more time.

I feel Jesus.

Oh, I feel Jesus in this place.

And my soldiers, oh, burn within me.

I feel Jesus in this place.

Now, Father, over every heart, never mind in this room, I pray your blessings.

Every heavy heart, every broken spirit in this room, I pray you encourage and be the

lifter of their head.

But today, with your peace that passes all understanding, in Jesus' name, amen and amen.

Could you give the Lord a good hand clap of praise?

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Real quickly, you can be seated for just a few more minutes.

Just bear with me a few more minutes.

We've got some gifts to give away here this morning.