Port City Faith Church
Sunday Morning - May 10th, 2026
  • Glorious Day
  • Open The Eyes Of My Heart
  • No Longer Slaves
  • Today Is Mother’s day.
    I believe it is very important to show honor to our mothers, not just once a year, but as often as we can.
    Being a mother is one of the most important roles anyone could have.
    Moms are directly responsible for raising the next generation.
    Everyone who ever lived had a mother, except for Adam, and we know how that turned out.
    Even Jesus, God in Human form, chose to have a mother.
    It is also one of the hardest, most thankless, most stressful jobs there is.
    Being a mother is never easy, you are constantly worrying about your children, trying to protect them, raise them, make sure they are happy, healthy, and thriving, often at the expense of your own sleep, health, and sanity.
    In the Scriptures, there are all sorts of moms, Good moms, bad moms, and everything in between.
    There are moms that protected their kids, abandoned their kids, adopted their kids, risked everything for their kids, and even one who murdered her kids
    not all of them were great role models.
    But the best mothers in the Bible, the ones that we see truly care for their children, the ones that are remembered all have one thing in common.
    They all prayed for their Children. I want to look at the examples of Mothers who prayed for their children in one way or another.
    We are going to start with Hannah, the woman who desperately prayed to become a mother.
    1 Samuel 1:1–8 ESV
    There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
    So Hannah is the barren wife of a man with two wives, he likely married his second wife because Hannah is Barren, and his second wife, Peninnah has multiple kids, kids who will inherit everything her husband owns.
    Hannah has nothing, but the love of her husband, and its not enough.
    So Hannah prays
    1 Samuel 1:9–20 ESV
    After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
    It is a simple prayer, God if you remember me and give me a son, then i will give him back to you.
    It is making a bargain with God,
    Now Church i do not often recommend trying to make bargains with the God of the Universe, because if you fail to keep your side of it, then that will come back to haunt you.
    But Hannah Prayed this prayer, and God answered it.
    and while she prayed she let her lips move, but no sound came out because she was so overwhelmed with emotion,
    The priest thought she was drunk, until she explained to him her prayer,
    and the Priest Prayed in agreement with her.
    And God does remember Hannah, and she gives birth to Samuel - one of the greatest prophets of the Lord, the one who unites Israel, and anoints the first kings.
    And Hannah honors her side of the bargain, and gives Samuel to the Lord
    And When she takes him to the temple to train as a priest, she offers a second prayer, one of thanksgiving, and one that is Prophetic.
    1 Samuel 2:1–10 ESV
    And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
    Look at what she says here, God kills and brings to life, he brings down to the grave and raises up,
    This sounds like someone i know, someone who was killed and brought back to life, buried in the grave, yet rose again
    He will give strength to his king and exalt his anointed
    Church at this time Israel does not have a king, so what King is she talking about except for the King God has chosen
    And the Word anointed here is Meshiach,- Messiah.
    Hannah in her worship of God, in her prayer of thanksgiving, foretells the coming of Jesus.
    And we find out later that God not only gives her Samuel, but blesses her with five more children.
    Now Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving is echoed by another mother, over a 1000 years later.
    Mary when she confirms what the angel told her is true.
    Remember Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she would give birth to Jesus.
    Luke 1:34–37 ESV
    And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
    So then Mary goes to visit Elizabeth to make sure that everything she heard from Gabriel is true.
    Luke 1:39–45 ESV
    In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
    And She find Elizabeth with Child, the child who would become John the Baptist, and John as a fetus recognizes the presence of baby Jesus within Mary and jumps for joy.
    Which cause Elizabeth to sing a quick song of praise.
    and then Mary Responds with this prayer.
    Luke 1:46–55 ESV
    And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
    And look at it, I contains much of the same language of Hannah’s prayer of thanks, God being glorified, God lifting up the lowly and humbling the proud,
    Mary’s prayer here is thankfulness for all that her Son Jesus would do, fulfilling all of God’s promises to His people Israel,
    and the reason why her prayer Echoes Hannah’s is because Hannah’s prayer looked forward to Jesus as well.
    Hannah’s son Samuel would go on to anoint David, the King of Israel, and Jesus is descended from David.
    The next praying mother I want to look at is one desperately asking for God to heal her child.
    Matthew 15:21–28 ESV
    And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
    Now you might say, this doesn’t sound like a prayer, its more of a discussion or debate.
    But look at what she is doing, She is coming to Jesus, who is God, and begging him on her knees to heal her daughter.
    If Jesus was not physically there, and she did this, we would immediately say she was praying.
    And in this prayer, she argues with Jesus.
    Jesus claims to have only come for Israel, and this woman is a syrio-phonecian canaanite. She comes from a people group the israelites were supposed to depose, because of their idolatry.
    But when her daughter is sick she doesn’t seek any false gods or Idols, she seeks Jesus, God in Human form.
    And Jesus presents an argument, its not good to take away the children’s bread and give it to dogs,
    In other words, its not good for the blessings meant for one people to be taken away and given to others.
    And the woman responds “Yes, but even the dogs eat the crumbs.”
    In other words, She is not asking to take someone else’s blessing, she is asking for whatever can be spared.
    And Jesus Commends her Faith, and he daughter is healed.
    Church I fully believe Jesus always intended to heal the girl.
    HE has this little back and forth with the woman to see if she will give up, and to illustrate her faith, and humility.
    Church she could have said something like - The Children of Israel don’t recognize you as their master, they don’t deserve the bread, I trust in you, give it to me instead,
    But that would not have been right,
    Instead she asks for only the crumbs, whatever little Jesus can spare.
    And Church do you know what Jesus can do with crumbs?
    Jesus once fed 5000 people with five loaves of bread, and afterward they picked up 12 basketfuls of crumbs.
    Jesus has plenty of crumbs to go around.
    This mother recognized that, and prayed for it.
    And Jesus answered her prayer.
    Church there are other times where mothers prayed, some are recorded and some are only implied.
    I share these with you to show one thing, the Love of a mother for her children is surpassed only by the Love of God for us.
    Church as we honor the mothers around us today there are a few things i want to note.
    For the mothers out there, in whatever stage of motherhood,
    Be moms that pray for your children
    Ask God to do good for them, and seek God’s heart for them,
    And if God answers your prayers rejoice!
    Fathers, support your wives and Children, its not just mothers who pray. honor the mother of your children.
    For those of us who have mothers, take time to thank your mother for all the work she did for you,
    thank her for praying for you, thank her for seeking the crumbs of God’s blessings for you.

      • 1 Samuel 1:1–8ESV

      • 1 Samuel 1:9–20ESV

      • 1 Samuel 2:1–10ESV

      • Luke 1:34–37ESV

      • Luke 1:39–45ESV

      • Luke 1:46–55ESV

      • Matthew 15:21–28ESV

  • Standing On The Promises (Promises)
Port City Faith Church
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