Project Description

2018/07

A Word To Women

“Mothers of Salem”

Matthew 19:13-15

Many years ago, in Sweden, a party of visitors were invited to meet the king’s daughter. One lady asked the princess if she would allow them to see the royal jewels. The princess readily agreed but imagine the visitor’s surprise when two children were presented to her. The princess viewed her children as her most precious jewels. The scripture calls children, “the heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Good parents treasure their children and want only what is best for them. As Christians that means we will seek to train them up in the way that they should go so that when they are old, they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Three of the gospels record the bringing of little children to the Lord Jesus that He, “should put His hands on them, and pray.” The fair assumption is made that among those who brought the children were many mothers. It was a highly commendable thing to do and the Lord Jesus welcomed the children and laid His hands on them. In seeking the best for our children, let us follow the example of these mothers.

We need to bring our children prayerfully to the Lord Jesus. From the moment that we know a child is to come into our home, we should be in prayer for that little one. As we marvel at their arrival and follow their development, we should be in prayer. The children brought to the Lord Jesus were “little children” (Matthew 19:13) but age is immaterial. We cannot wrap our children in cotton wool and keep them cossetted at home but as they step out into the world we can surround them in prayer. Job’s children were not “little” but Job was very conscious of their spiritual needs and so he “rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all… thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:5) We should not only pray for our children but pray with them. If prayer means little to us, then how can we expect our children to value it?

We need to bring our children physically to the Lord Jesus. How good it is to see families together on the Lord’s Day in the Lord’s House. As the metric version of Psalm 122 words it, “I joyed when to the house of God, Go up, they said to me”. Our children pick up on our feelings and if attending God’s House is a chore to us then it will be more so to them. These mothers were excited at bringing their infants to the Lord Jesus. Are we?

We can expect opposition when we seek to bring our children to Christ. The hymn writer worded it thus, “The stern disciples drove them back and bade them depart”. Opposition to seeking spiritual blessing for our children can come from many quarters but how sad when it is from a fellow believer! The immorality of the age bombards our children from their earliest days. The Lord can protect them, but we must be prepared to stand firm and listen as the Lord encourages us to bring our children to Him. Take an active part in all that your children do and be alert to the subtle dangers which assail them.

The mothers were rewarded when Jesus laid His hands on their children and blessed them. What a contrast with the parents who just a short time later shouted for the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, saying, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

Olive Maxwell
(Olive has lived and worked as a missionary in Cork for over twenty years. She is married to Colin, who serves with the Mission Board, mostly in the Republic of Ireland.)