[Please join me in praying for children, families, and our future on Thursdays this year.]
“God tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11 NIV)
Entering into my consciousness are two stories that lead me to pray for moms today.
Two summers ago a friend and I witnessed a fatal car crash caused by a (then) 19 year old who has since been charged with reckless driving leading to death. Her sentencing hearing is June 13. I do not know this family and haven’t talked with anyone connected to the case, but my mother’s heart hurts for this mom who will be watching her daughter leave for years of women’s prison.
Yesterday I talked with a young mom who had recently been through a divorce. She’s navigating this major life upheaval, trying to run a music studio to support herself and her autistic daughter, and provide the structure, love, and education her daughter needs. She is hopeful and optimistic about life, but the weight on her shoulders is significant.
I’ve heard it said that “The had that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Everyone from God to scientific research tells us that mothers are tremendously important to raising children and, therefore, our future. Yet, sometimes moms struggle more than “average” – whatever that measurement might mean. Sometimes the circumstances of life are heavy and mind-boggling. So, today, let us pray for these hands that rock the cradles and influence our world.
God,
Thank you for being our Rock and Fortress, the God in which we trust. Thank you for tending your flock like a shepherd, gathering lambs in your arms and carrying them close to your heart. Thank you for gently leading those that have young. Today we come to you to intervene for mothers in a variety of hard situations. We ask your presence, wisdom, protection, and blessing to be upon them. May they be surrounded by Spirit-led Believers who encourage, build up, and comfort them, giving hope for them and their children. In the places where miracles are needed, we pray for those miracles. We pray for…
-women whose child(ren) is/are in prison
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women who are single parenting
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women who are raising “special needs” children
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women whose children were conceived in rape
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
– women who feel alone and don’t have family support and encouragement around them
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women whose husbands have betrayed marital trust through affairs, abandonment, or abuse
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women who are divorced, raising children, and feeling overwhelmed and even hopeless
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women for whom suicide seems the only option
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women whose circumstances force them into choosing abortion and now they live with post-abortive guilt
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
-women for whom the Church has not provided shelter, grace, or support
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In you, Lord, we cry out for refuge, rescue, deliverance, righteousness, and justice for the moms of this world. Turn your ear to our prayers and be their Rock and Fortress to which they can always go. Deliver them from the wicked, evil, and cruel in this world and give them hope and confidence in the future. May they ever praise you, we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.” (Psalm 71:1-8 NIV)