A Mother’s Day Prayer

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Heavenly Father, this weekend is a reminder to honor the mothers in our lives. Though Mother’s Day is a holiday created by man, it reflects the intention of one of your foundational commands: honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12). So, we thank you for our moms, for their love and sacrifice. Through them, you often show your faithful care and sometimes spread the gospel. Bless them richly.

Yet we live in a fallen world that is broken by sin—a world that you will not make whole until our Lord Jesus returns. For we know that “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22). The pain of childbirth reminds us that, until our Savior comes again, there will be many kinds of suffering that exhort us to press on by “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Therefore, today is a mixture of blessing and pain for many. And so, we pray… 

… for those who have suffered the loss of their mothers through death; Lord, bring them your comfort. You are “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Therefore, by your Spirit, minister your comforting grace to the hearts of those who still feel that sense of loss, even if many years have gone by.

… for those who are in the process of losing their mother, little by little, through disease or dementia; Lord, give them an extra measure of persevering grace to serve their mother well. Give frail and needy mothers the grace to accept the role reversal that is often part of our final years on earth (1 Timothy 5:16). 

… for those who never knew their birth mother; Lord, please draw near to them. Use the truth of Psalm 68:5 to minister to their hearts: “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” 

… for those whose memories of their mom may not be good, perhaps because of abuse or neglect, help them look to Jesus, who endured all forms of suffering and mistreatment and is now their sympathetic high priest (Hebrews 4:15). 

… for those who have lost a child through death; Lord, please sustain them with your love as they remember and endure a pain that will not go away until Jesus wipes away their tears (Revelation 1:4). And for those who suffer regret for past abortions, help them truly believe that the blood of Jesus washes away every kind of sin and reconciles us to peace with God (Colossians 1:20). 

… for women raising children without a father in the home; Lord, give them the grace of endurance. Give them strength. Encourage their hearts. Show us, as a church, how to serve them more effectively with compassion (Colossians 3:12).

 … for those who have received the gracious gift of a child with special needs or disabilities, give them joyful acceptance, endurance, patience, and love (Exodus 4:11).

 … for those living with the trial of infertility; Lord, kindle hope within them, open the womb, and bless them with new life (Psalm 113:9). 

… for those who have followed your example of grace through adoption, thank you for putting within them the desire to nurture another woman’s birth child. And for those ready and willing to adopt a child but lack the finances or a path forward, please help them trust you to provide (Matthew 6:32).

… for those whose heart aches to become a wife and mother but find themselves without a husband; Lord, draw near to them. Help them draw near to you as they wait with hope. Remind them that their desire is good and holy. Cause them to prepare themselves by pursuing godliness (Titus 2:4-5)

… for those who have a child who has chosen the path of sin and become a prodigal; Lord, please stir up hope and patience in the hearts of these moms to trust you and wait upon you for their child’s salvation and return (Luke 15).

… for those whose children are living, working, and serving in distant lands; perhaps as missionaries or in the armed services, Lord, please keep their motherly heart at peace. Remind them to run to you as their refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1) 

… for those who have a full and happy family life; Lord, thank you for this testimony of your grace and faithfulness. Give them a heart of compassion to provide an extra chair or two at their table to share with those who are lonely and without family (James 1:27).

… for those who, in their pain, feel abandoned, remind them of your precious promises. You are near to the brokenhearted and never leave nor forsake those who are in Christ (Psalm 34:18; Hebrews 13:5).

Father, we thank you for these women, both young and old. We ask you to bless them, encourage their hearts, and sustain their spirits. Draw them closer to you every day through your Word. Fill them with the joy of knowing Christ and walking by faith—as pilgrims in this land. And cause all of us to look forward to the day when our Risen Savior returns. 

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. 

©2024 Paul Tautges. Used with permission.