Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying; Thy servant, my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondsmen.  And elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee?  Tell me, what hast thou in the house?  And she said; Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.             2 Kings 4:1-2

In the Old and New Testament we read that if the people were not able to pay their debts, they were held in bondage.  They had to work off what they owed in a debtors' prison.  Most people would die there so this mother came seeking help from Elisha.

• Verse 1:  Mothers worry!  My mom is a worrying mom.  I believe God planted worrying gene into moms.  They worry about everything.  Moms will say, "I know I shouldn't worry, but I just can't help it."  You know, I believe God understands a mother's worry.  Don't you think that He does?  Bless their hearts, mothers love their family -- so they worry.  Mothers will get out of bed and pace the floor waiting for her children to come home.  You were supposed to be home by eleven.  It's now five minute after eleven, and you're not home.  Mom is worried.  She's walking the floor and looking out the window every three minutes looking for car lights.

          If I were late getting home and my mom happened to hear a siren, she's call the police, the hospital, and every person she knew.  "Have you seen Junior?", she would ask.  Then when I come rolling in -- "Where in the world have you been?  I've been worried sick!"  "It's only five after eleven, Mom."  "Well, you were supposed to be here by eleven."

• Verse 2: This lady went to Elisha.  "What shall I do for thee?" he asked.  She said, "My husband is dead and creditors are coming to take my sons as bondsmen."  He asked her what she had in her house and she told him only a pot of oil. 

         Not only do moms worry, but moms are humble.  Someone told me just this week that went they were growing up food was scarce.  When their mom cooked meals, she would busy herself somewhere else in the house because there was not enough food for everyone.  She would not eat until every child had finished eating.  She then ate what the children left behind, if anything was left.  It finally dawned on the children one day -- Mom is not busy in the house; mom is giving her part of the food to us kids.

       Moms will do without so her children can have enough food to eat and enough clothes to were.  Moms are humble.  They willingly do without.  It doesn't take much to make a mother happy.

• Verse 3: You know what else about mothers that makes them unique?  Mothers have faith.

       "All I have in the house is one small jar of oil."  Then the man of God told her, "Go, borrow some vessels from thy neighbors.  Borrow not a few, but many.  Shut the door behind you and your sons.  Thou shall pour the oil into all those empty vessels, and thou shall set aside that which is full."

       There are people in this church this morning who are born-again Christians because you saw Christ in Mama.  Mothers are the spiritual anchor in the homes.  This woman went to the man of God in faith.  Knowing what he said to do she would do. 

        I wish we had more mothers today that would get down on their knees and pray like mothers used to do --- like grandmothers used to do.  They would stand on the Rock and stood in the Word.  They prayed for their children who had gone astray.  All others may have given up on them, but not mother.  She would never turn her back on them.  They say a mother's love is close to the love of God.  I agree!  A mother loves you when you are unlovable.  Mothers have faith to believe every need will be met.  Did you ever hear your mother say, "I don't know how we will meet all the bills, but God will provide."  Some mothers can reach up and ring the prayer bells of heaven.  Amen!  Mothers are hard-working.

Let me say this and let me be loud and clear.  There is no occupation in this world any harder than a mother's job.  She's the first one up in the morning and the last one to bed at night.  Most have a job outside the home and when she gets home she starts her second shift.  When the others are resting, she starts her third shift.  They work from "sunup 'til sundown."

• Verse 5: This woman went from door to door gathering vessels.  She might have started early in the morning.  She may have struggled to carry them all.  Her back may have been hurting and she surely was tired.  People probably wondered why she needed so many of those pots.

• Verse 6: And when it came to pass, she told her son to bring yet another vessel.  He said, "There is not another vessel to bring."  God hears mothers when they pray.

• Verse 7:  The woman poured oil into all those vessels and the pot never ran out.  "Sell the oil to pay your debts," said Elisha.  "Then keep the rest for yourself and your family."  Because of her faith this mother's whole family was blessed.  You better believe that mamas are going to take care of their children, no matter what!!

I'll close by telling this little story about my mama.  When I was a small child, we lived in South Carolina near the railroad tracks.  I suppose you might say we lived on the wrong side of the tracks.  One day my brother and I decided we wanted to throw rocks at people.  So we threw rocks at some teenage girls passing by -- and they didn't like it.  As a matter of fact, they didn't like it so much that they were going to whip me and my brother.  We got very scared, but Mama came out of the house and stood between me, my brother and those two girls that had every right to kill us.  But I was thankful she was there.  If that had been an army, my mama would have stood in front of us.  Mothers will protect their children, no matter what, even when the children are sometimes wrong! 

Oh, those childhood memories about mama.  Did you ever get a spit bath from mama?  That's a memory I wouldn't take anything for -- yeah!  I got them, too.  Don't laugh!  I bet everyone in here has gotten at least one spit bath from your mama. 

If you can, go see your mama today.  Tell her how much you appreciate the times she mended your socks, kept your clothes clean and mended, and for all those good meals she cooked for you.

To sum it all up:

• Mothers worry -- that is a part of being a mother

• Mothers are humble -- they do without so everyone else can have

• Mothers have faith -- the faith of God in their hearts

• Mothers are hard-working -- their days are long and hard

• Mothers are blessed -- God hears Mama's prayer

Bro. Jr Fields........May 14, 2006.

Sermon edited by Mary King

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