Travail in Prayer

 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you ~ Galatians 4:19

One of the greatest miracles of the world we live in is childbirth (how everyone came into this world asides from Adam and Eve). This process usually takes nine months, sometimes shorter or longer. During these nine months, the woman carrying the child experiences many changes and sometimes even great difficulties, which all culminate in the delivery of the child. The pain of that single day sometimes surpasses the pain of the past months, but the incredible thing is once the child is delivered and handed to the hand of the mother, she suddenly forgets all the pain she has gone through and is with joy beyond what words can describe. 

Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38: The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest. If one were to paraphrase what Jesus said, it goes thus: There are a lot of children to be born, but there are no mothers to carry and deliver these children, therefore pray to the Father of all to raise mothers to bring forth these children. No wonder Apostle Paul said of the Christians in Galatians: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19)

Oh, how we need in this times mothers that will travail in prayer till children are born into the Kingdom of God. Like in the world, most women no longer want to go through the pain of childbirth. We followers of Christ also do not want to go through the pain as it doesn’t look glamorous. We want to have children but do not want to go through childbirth, which is impossible now or ever will. Shall we not follow the path that our Savior laid down for us when He travailed (brought us forth) in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Isaiah said of Jesus in the 53rd chapter of his prophecy verse 2b: “He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” It goes on through this chapter, explaining the nature of Him through which we are all reconciled to God, and I encourage later meditation on this study as I believe it gives a clearer picture of what it means to be a mother. 

After a mother gives birth, it doesn’t end there. She goes through the pain and joy of nurturing the child to maturity because she always thinks back on what it took her to bring forth the child. Until we as a church become mothers, we will never understand what it means to nurture the children of God till they attain full maturity in Christ (then they can also go on to bring forth children of their own in Christ) instead we are like hirelings that flee when the wolf comes to attack the flock (John 10: 11-14)

Oh Lord, raise mothers as John Knox (leader of Scottish reformation) who prayed: Give me Scotland or I die. God gave him Scotland. I believe the Lord is looking for mothers to bring forth His children. Will you respond to that call? Yes, it will be difficult but remember Christ first went through that process on your behalf, and He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us out. A generation without mothers will perish, but I am convinced that God will raise mothers for this generation. Will you be one of them? Remember that there is a reward prepared for those that will gladly answer this call.

Here is a hymn from Charles Wesley:

Give me the faith which can remove

And sink the mountain to a plain;

Give me the childlike praying love,

Which longs to build Thy house again;

Thy love, let it my heart overpower,

And all my simple soul devour.

I want an even strong desire,

I want a calmly fervent zeal,

To save poor souls out of the fire,

To snatch them from the verge of hell,

And turn them to a pardoning God,

And quench the brands in Jesus’ blood.

I would the precious time redeem,

And longer live for this alone,

To spend, and to be spent for them

Who have not yet my Savior known;

Fully on these my mission prove,

And only breathe, to breathe Thy love.

My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord,

Into Thy blessed hands receive;

And let me live to preach Thy Word,

And let me to Thy glory live;

My every sacred moment spend

In publishing the sinner’s friend.

Enlarge, inflame, and fill my heart

With boundless charity divine,

So shall I all my strength exert,

And love them with a zeal like Thine,

And lead them to Thy open side,

The sheep for whom the Shepherd died.