Covered
in Prayer
The
readings for Mother’s Day tell the stories of two women—first Hannah, then
Mary—bringing their sons to the sanctuary to dedicate them to God. In each
case, their feelings must have been a mixture of gratitude, trepidation, and
determination.
Hannah
had promised, in her childless agony, that she would dedicate her son to God as
a Nazirite for “all the days of his life” (1 Sam. 1.11). And so, in fulfilment
of her vow, she brought that son, maybe three years old, to the tabernacle in
Shiloh, into the care of Eli. Yet she had surely knew the rumours of Eli’s
wicked sons, that they were greedy, sexual predators, preying on the young
women who served at the sanctuary (1 Sam. 2.12–25). Yet, for the sake of her
vow, she left him there with the priests.
Mary too
brought her child to the Lord, to the temple in Jerusalem, to be dedicated to
God and inscribed in the genealogies of Israel. Even then she faced opposition
from those who had heard of this birth and opposed this child, who was
certainly not Joseph’s, being registered in the genealogies. But Joseph made
the confession, zeh b’ni—This is my son—and the child was inscribed in the
genealogy of the house of David. Mary knew well enough the circumstances of his
conception. She remembered when the Holy Spirit had overshadowed and covered
her. And Joseph knew from an angel’s report. But what was to come of this baby
was beyond their knowledge. Among the doubters in the temple, they found two
who knew that this child was not what he was rumoured to be, but was the
promised virgin-born Messiah. But the testimony came with a warning that her
child would be continually “spoken against” and that a sword would pierce her
heart.
Mary and
Hannah loved their little boys, and, in faith, entrusted their unknown and
dangerous future to God. We too can no
more control the outcome of our children’s lives than they could. But we can
send them in the right direction by bringing them up in the fear and
instruction of the Lord. And we can cover all the days of their lives in
prayer, that they may live to fulfil God’s purpose for them.
David
Mitchell
"Samuel Dedicated by Hannah at the Temple", by Frank William Warwick Topham (1838-1924) - https://christianitymalaysia.
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