June 19, 1919 is an easy day to remember, but I almost forgot it. Today, June 19, is Mother’s Birthday. I wrote a Sharing Time about Mother many years back and posting it here again. (Mother would have been 105 today.)
“A Prayerful Mother” by Reva Lachica Moore
I don’t remember exactly how old I was when Mother taught me how to pray. As far as I can recall, we had family worships in the morning and evening of every day – without fail. The morning worship started at 5:00 a.m. when Mother would start singing a hymn and we children would slowly drag ourselves and find our places on the living room floor.
In the evening after supper, Mother would start singing, which meant we had to stop whatever we were doing and sit down for worship. Our chores and homework resumed after Mother’s prayer. I don’t remember disliking our daily ritual, for it gave me a great feeling after acknowledging our Father in heaven in the start and end of every day.
To Mother, prayer time was a vital part of her day. When we went home for lunch breaks during schooldays, she insisted on having prayer time together at noon also. And with ten children in my family, because of Mother’s trust in God, all of us finished college in spite of financial difficulty.
Looking back now, I wonder where my life would be if I didn’t have a spiritual mother, for she taught me about our Creator God who is very concerned about every detail of my life. From our humble beginnings, Mother taught me the SECRET to experience utmost joy and peace in terrifying situations, which I use even more today. “Put God number One in your life,” she said, “and you’ll achieve your life’s goals.” I took all her instructions to heart and believed that everything God has promised in the Holy Scriptures is true, even for me.
And so my life’s journey that brought me to where I am today had been full of joy because of my trust in Jesus in good times and in bad.
Prayerful mothers storm heaven’s doors when a loved one is very ill. My friend Jenn’s relentless pleadings with God made her son Roy’s cancer disappear. I, too, remember the countless times when my teen sons and I held hands in a circle and pleaded with God when their father was ill.
My sons also have had their share of mishaps. I can still remember the time when I had just told my son Adam on the phone that I prayed for him. An hour later, he called with panic in his voice. It had been raining and his car hydroplaned and ended up in the trees – totaled! But Adam got out unscathed! Not even a scratch or a bruise.
I read about Susanna Wesley, a mother of 19 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood. Most notable of her children were John and Charles Wesley, the founders of the International Methodist Church. As a mother going through tough times – illnesses, debt, conflicts with her husband, she managed to teach her children to cry softly and play quietly and to read by the age of 5 while she maintained a close relationship with the Lord. She spent an hour with each child every week and remained faithful to a daily quiet time with God. Often, in her hectic schedule, she would pull her apron over her head when she needed time alone with God. And the children were taught not to disturb her, for she was praying. She died at the age of 73 in 1742.
In the mid-90’s, when my dear mother was ill and bed-ridden, each week I drove the almost 3-hour drive to Alexandria to see her. Mother loved reading her Bible but the time came when her eyes failed her and she could no longer read. I’ve never seen a well-marked Bible. Almost every page of Mother’s Bible had colorful markings. I would read to her for hours. Then Mother would pray the longest prayers with tears in her eyes. She expressed her deep love for God in the most beautiful way. I can still remember her words, “My Father, I know You live in my heart, but if it were possible that I could see you in person, I would go anywhere in the world to find you no matter the distance.” Mother truly loved her Heavenly Father.
Before Mother passed on, her last words to me were: “You continue my work of prayer. Pray for our family. Pray for our relatives and friends after I’m gone. I want to see everyone in heaven someday.”
Prayerful mothers raise prayerful children. My mother used to tell me, “I pray for you every day.” Today, I pray with my sons on the phone, or when they come to visit. When my son Adam calls asking for prayer, he usually does the praying and I agree with him in prayer (where 2 or 3 are gathered). He says the most beautiful, heart-felt prayers. My son Cliff said that whenever he cannot sleep right away, he prays until he falls asleep. I have become prayerful just like my mother, and my children likewise have become prayerful like me. Today, we are teaching the grandchildren about prayer.
Proverbs 22:6…“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”