Meet Mrs. Lappidoth

Mrs. Lappidoth is a mother extraordinaire, and since Sunday is Mother’s Day, I thought this would be the perfect time for you to get to know her. I love to read stories about strong women who somehow manage to get out of the box that society wants to put them in and be the woman God designed them to be. Mrs. Lappidoth not only got out of the box she pretty much demolished the box.

Mrs. Lappidoth found herself living in a time when everyone was closed in by fear. Business as usual was a thing of the past because it was too dangerous to be out in the fields or on the highways. Lawlessness, cruelty, and violence ruled. The very places where people should have felt safe and secure, - their homes, their towns, their streets, - were filled with anxiety. Their faith In God that once was their strength had been tossed aside and their will to fight was gone. Life had been diminished to just existing with no hope for the future.

I can identify with Mrs. Lappidoth. I find myself living in a world that is filled with fear. Uncertainty about the future has paralyzed many people. I used to love to travel but after 911 everything changed and today traveling reminds me that danger is possible anytime and anywhere and there is just that hint of uneasiness as you pass through airports, train stations, or anywhere large groups of people are gathered. There is a sense that we are not safe. I hear the reports of high gas prices, high food prices and people desperately looking for jobs and finding none. The faith that once made our nation great has been tossed aside and a lot of Christ followers have become complacent and are no longer willing to be involved or put forth the effort it will take to change themselves or those around them. I know that Satan would love to use all this to tie me up, put me in a box, and close the lid – and actually a smaller and smaller box all the time. But thankfully I have met Mrs. Lappidoth and I want to introduce you to her. Most of you already know her but just by her first name - Deborah.

Judges 5:6 “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,

In the days of Jael,

The highways were deserted,

And the travelers walked along the byways.

7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,

Until I, Deborah, arose,

Arose a mother in Israel.

Deborah was a prophetess and a judge in a time when women just didn’t do that. She was a leader in a man’s world. She found herself involved in the political scene and holding court under a palm tree. We know that Deborah was also a wife and called herself a mother in the house of Israel. I don’t know whether she had actual sons and daughters, and as far as I know the Bible does not say, but it is very clear that she was a spiritual mom for the nation of Israel.

What I love about Deborah is not that she held all these positions or that I aspire to the positions she held. Frankly one Judge Judy is all that this world needs. It is not what she did but how she lived that excites me. She lived the uniquely designed life God had for her from her heart as a spiritual mom. Let’s talk about that.

As a prophetess, she heard the word of the Lord and became His mouthpiece to those she served. She was passionate to have her people restored to their rightful place before God and was quick to point out that they were suffering because they had left God. She was willing to do what God wanted her to do regardless of what society said she could or should do. Her objective was not to be powerful and establish herself as a force to be reckoned with but to lead God’s sons and daughters back to faith. Her words of encouragement changed the course of a nation. She was a mother in the truest since of the word whether or not she ever gave birth to a child.

I believe our world needs women to rise up and take their place before God as spiritual mothers to bring God’s sons and daughters to faith. Spiritual mothers who hear the voice of God and guide others. Passionate mothers with a willingness to do whatever God asks not what society expects. Our world needs spiritual moms who will use powerful words of encouragement to change the course of history. Age does not really factor into the spiritual realm so this is for every female reading this. We all need a spiritual mom and I believe we are all called to spiritually mentor someone. My ten-year-old granddaughter recently asked me to pray for her friend whose parents are getting a divorce. That is the heart of a spiritual mom in the making. This Mother’s Day I pray that every woman, regardless of age, will arise like Deborah.

The hand that rocks the cradle will change the world,

The heart that trains the soul will reach the nations,

But the spirit that awakens the destiny of another,

transforms the universe.

From Spiritual Moms by Lynn Wilford

Let’s transform the universe. Happy Spiritual Mother’s Day!