I believe that it was my mother’s prayer that saved my life on a day that would have been my last day on earth. It was on a fateful day in 2002, at Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria that I experienced a very fatal accident on the back of a motorcycle, popularly called, “Okada.” There was an emergency situation I needed to sort out at a new generation bank. The traffic was a hell.
To meet up with my appointment, I abandoned my vehicle at a safe location and hopped on a motorcycle. The guy who drove me, who must have been under the influence of alcohol, sped off, entered into a one-way lane, apparently facing a barrage of vehicles. I screamed, but under a split of a second, I was under the edge of tires of one of the approaching vehicles.
All passersby screamed, “he don kill am.” But with torn clothes and in utter amazement to all onlookers, I stood up. There was a Police vehicle beside the road. They rushed to the scene to rescue me, but were shocked to know that I had survived. It was then they bundled the motorcycle rider into their vehicle and bolted away with him. I stood up and walked away.
Few minutes later, my mum called me and said to me, “I sensed some danger some minutes back and was praying for you. I hope you are fine.” I was stunned! Look at the mercy of God in display in broad day light. My mother’s prayer triggered the release of God’s mercies that preserved my life. Three years after this incidence, she went home to be with the Lord.
History is replete with the exploits of godly mothers, mothers who blazed the trail and set the pace for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Presently, we are at a crossroad — the values that produced great and godly mothers in the past are increasingly being eroded from culture by the forces of humanism, feminism, atheism, and above all, the increased love of sin in the hearts of men.
There is now a conflict between culture and scripture. For the genuine daughter of God, scriptures are sacrosanct about the path to becoming a godly mother. It starts from the new birth — committing your heart to Jesus in what is called “being born again.” Next to this experience is a daily walk with Jesus in His word and in prayer to produce the right fruits that would shape the right character for becoming a godly mother. Thus, at the root of godly motherhood is godly womanhood.
On the other hand, culture, which is diametrically opposed to the tenets of scriptures, promotes far reaching secular values for attaining motherhood. Some of the principles and virtues that the Bible emphasizes such as humility of heart and submission to the husband as unto the Lord in the marriage institution are violated by culture. Adherence to culture promotes carnal womanhood. Adherence to scriptures promote godly motherhood which is the unavoidable path of influence and impact in the kingdom of God.
Every woman must desire to be kingdom minded — it is a guaranteed path to godly motherhood. As we celebrate mothers’ day today, it is imperative for all of us who have benefited from the values and virtues of kingdom mothers to venerate the memory of kingdom mothers. You will hardly find any great man in God’s kingdom whose roots were not hooked to the sacrifices of their mothers — godly mothers for that matter. History tells us about the incredible impacts of John and Charles Wesley in the revival that swept through England.
The fire of revival that broke out in Great Britain in the late 17th century was fanned from the embers of the Wesleys. But it was their mother, Susanna Wesley who started this fire, right by her bedside. Susana Wesley had nineteen children for her husband, Samuel Wesley. John Wesley was the fifteenth of these children. For many years, Susanna would pray for each of her children.
She birthed their vision on the wings of intercession. She lost many of them, but God rewarded her faithful intercession by sending the mantle of revival on her son, John Wesley, who later founded the great Methodist church in England. Godly mothers are priceless. Our generation has yet to appreciate the value and impact of godly mothers in the birth of great visions.
To further bridge this gap, let me also tell you more about the exploits of godly mothers in shaping the history of the church.
Morrow Graham, the mother of Billy Graham prayed for and inspired Evangelist Billy Graham into his calling. Katharina Luther inspired the great Martin Luther to prominence.
Ann was the first wife of the great missionary, Adoniram Judson who before her death, contributed to the revival that broke out through the ministry of Adoniram Judson in the nation of Burma. Ann literarily died in the hands of her husband, Adoniram Judson. While Adoniram was jailed for preaching the gospel, Ann stood with him and by him, combing the bush at night to secretly locate the window of the prison facility that held her husband, just to encourage him.
She would quietly knock the window of the cell and whisper the following words to her husband, “Hang on Adoniram, God will soon give us the victory.” Then she would crawl back through the same bush path, back home. While she was dying in the hands of Adoniram after his release from prison, her last words were still, “hang on Adoniram, God will soon give us the victory.”. Adoniram burst into tears and said, “Ann, oh Ann my dear wife.” He rose up after the death of his wife to birth a major revival in the nation of Burma that is still speaking till today. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless.
Dr CE French told the story of a 98-year-old woman, Sister Mary, who as an intercessor in America in the 1960s, revealed the secret of an impending bilateral deal between the US and Turkey. This was a top secret. Some delegates from Turkey had arrived the White House to sign some documents with the then US president. A night before the meeting in the White House, the Lord showed sister Mary the exact details of the deal in a night vision.
She woke up and sent a message to her friend at the White House, who later passed it over to the white house secretary that, should the US president sign that deal, America was going to enter into serious trouble. That same evening, FBI agents stormed sister Mary’s house, demanding from her the source of her information. They said to her, “you are an agent for the Turkish government.”
After subjecting her to hours of gruelling interrogation, they discovered that the source of her information was beyond any natural means. Surprisingly, the US government changed their mind and bowed to the warnings of sister Mary. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless.
Godly mothers stand on the wings of the spirit. They are intercessors. They are deep wells of wisdom. They provide courage and inspiration to their families. They are rare to find in our generation, but still exist in various climes, although in small proportions. You can be part of this elite group of kingdom stalwarts, mothers with the eyes of the spirit and with the strength of the eagles.
Any man with these kind of mothers, either as wives or as parents, is truly blessed by God. They must be cherished, honored, and rewarded. If you have one, please venerate her. After God, godly mothers, most especially as wives are the next best factors for success in life. Truly, Godly mothers are priceless. Happy mothers’ day
Ayo Akerele is the senior Pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through ayoakerele@gmail.com
