I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. (1 Samuel 1: 27)

We want to introduce you to a wonderful woman. Her name is Hannah, and her name means “gracious.” But don’t get the idea that this gracious woman had an easy life. Polygamy was tolerated in Hannah’s day, and her husband had more than one wife. Because Hannah was barren, the other wife scorned her. Hannah cried out to God that she might have a baby that she could raise for God.

Here are four principles from God’s Word, and they will apply to you even if you’re not a mother – even if you’re a man. They apply to being not only a maximum mom but maximum anything, if you’re going to be something for God.

1. Principle of Priority
   Principle number one is the principle of priority. Hannah wanted a child. And there is something basically wrong when children are looked upon as burdens rather than blessings – when life is not priority. There is something drastically wrong when little babies are put to death in mother’s wombs. Our heart goes out to all women who would love to have children and cannot. But those who can and refuse, we want to tell you that you are missing an incredible blessing.
   
2. Principle of Magnificent Prayer
   Principle two is the principle of magnificent prayer. Your prayers line up behind your priorities. Hannah cried day and night unto God. So when do you begin to pray for your children? Not after they are born but before they’re born. Not after they are conceived but before they’re conceived. Children ought come as an answer to prayer.
   
3. Principle of Purpose
   Principle three is the principle of purpose. Your prayer and priorities determine your purpose. And notice what Hannah’s purpose was. She wanted a holy child, a son separated unto the Lord. If the child is a gift of God, if the child has come from God, then that child must be given back to God.
   
4. Principle of Persistence
   The fourth principle is the principle of persistence. Hannah’s sorrow was so strong and her desire so heartfelt that the Eli thought she was drunk when he found her praying earnestly at the temple for a son. Not only did Hannah pray for her son before he was born, but she continued to pray for him after he was born, in dark days. And do you know what Samuel means? It means “asked of the Lord.”  He was her little answer to prayer.
   
5. Principle of Persuasion
   The fifth principle is the principle of persuasion. You get your priority right, your prayer right, your purpose right, your persistence right, and then you begin to do what you alone can do – to persuade that child for the Lord Jesus Christ. Hannah wouldn’t let her son go until she made sure he knew God.

Conclusion: These principles all apply to any godly person in any godly situation. But they come to us from the life of a godly mother. Don’t ever let anyone say a woman is “just a house wife” or “only a home maker” or “just a mother.” There is nothing greater than to raise a baby for Jesus Christ.

Thank God for magnificent mothers!