A Mother's Prayer for Her Children, Home, and Purpose
- Meg Bucher Author
- Updated Mar 07, 2019
“Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.” -Louisa MayAlcott
Nothing will drag out the motivation to be the best version of ourselves like the charge and challenge of motherhood. Our drive is to get it right because our children have their eyes fixed on us. A mother’s love reflects that of God- selfless, enduring and unconditional. Alongside the task of guiding them to God’s feet, mothers are called to live out the Lord’s compassion in their children’s lives.
“You are always forgiven,” I remind my children, “and never loved less.”
This is the promise we experience through Jesus Christ. Every mother’s birth story is as unique as the two people bonded for life in that moment. God is not calling mothers into a life of self-sacrificing perfection but one of humility and wisdom. As we focus less on ourselves, we become the very best version of ourselves.
A Beautiful Prayer for Your Children
Father,
We praise you for children. No child is placed in a mother’s womb by coincidence. You know every life, and in your mastery knit us into the unique threads of humanity we are purposed to be with Your great love before we breathed our first breath of earthly air. Father, mold us into mothers that reflect 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 love. We want to honor You in the way we love our children. Help us to be patient, when the hours are long, the wait seems impossible, and our strength fails us. Fill us with kindness, when our urge to criticize overwhelms us.
Father, create in us a delight for your truth, and a will to worship You in seasons of suffering and moments of triumphant accomplishment. As You protect us, enable us to protect our children, Father. Help us to build a bridge of trust with our children, and to pave a pathway to hope for them to find and embrace You, their Father and Creator. Father, motherhood is so overwhelmingly hard. What we cannot find the strength to do for ourselves, let us persevere so our children may see Your love for them reflected in our lives. We pray today, Father, for You to keep our children physically safe, and guard their hearts and minds. May their friendships be godly and God-centered, their relationships and marriages built on kindness and upon seeking You first.
Bless them to hear Your voice above all others, and find their purpose and passions early in life. May they never stop pursuing You and the talents and gifts You have given them. Go before us and forgive our mistakes as we do our best to raise our children, Father. Thank you for blessing us with the privilege to be such an intricate part of Your creation. Help us be at peace with what we cannot understand, and driven to work hard with what we know.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
For another prayer to pray over your children, click here.
Click here for a prayer to pray over your child’s future.
A Faithful Prayer for Your Home
Father,
Today we praise You for home. Bless this space we share with the people you’ve placed around us. Father, you always forgive us, and never love us less. Help us to embrace that mentality when we walk through the doors to our home daily. As Colossians 3:13 reminds, help us to“bear with each other and forgive one another.” Families share four walls that witness each of us in a way the rest of the world does not. Create a safe haven for us at home, Father. Ignite in us the ability to embrace and encourage each other, flaws and good qualities alike. May we recognize each other’s strengths more than we are bothered by weaknesses.
Father, we ask Your forgiveness today for the moments we have lost our patience in the past and to come in the future. Grow us in wisdom to be mindful of our words. Convict us to serve each other and put our selfish pursuits and agendas aside. You have forgiven us, so we too can extend forgiveness to each other every day.
Thank you for giving us a support system, and a small army to pursue Your righteousness. Bless our home to be a welcoming example of Your love. Bless all who walk through our doors, and us as we exit them and walk out into the world each day. May the love we absorb at home be enough to embolden and sustain us as we walk throughout days at school, work, and through the pursuit of our passions and hobbies. Help us to be outward facing people, noticing those You place in our paths and looking for ways to love them.
Keep our home safe. Protect it from intruders and invaders who wish harm upon us. Bless our home with Your presence, Lord Jesus. Guard our home against the evil that plots to derail and confuse us. Give us the discernment to see and recognize attacks for what they are, and the strength of faith to turn from temptation when it rears its ugly head. Keep us pure in mind, body and spirit, Father. Let our home be a welcome refuge of peace for all who visit.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” -Abraham Lincoln
Colossians 3:13, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
For another prayer to pray over your home, click here.
Click here for an additional prayer to pray over your family.
A Powerful Prayer for Your Purpose as a Mother
Father,
Today, we come to You with grateful hearts. The gift of motherhood is a rich blessing, and we thank You for the privilege and honor of bearing the title, ‘Mom.’ As so many of the great biblical mothers come to our minds, we are reminded of the legacy we have been grafted into. The sacrifices made out of love for You and their children pave a road full of examples and encouragement for us to follow. Help us to remember to go to those places in Scripture when we yearn for a sense of camaraderie, and when we feel alone in our struggles as a mom.
Help us to fight the fear of isolation that can overtake mothers. Remind us we are placed purposefully in our children's lives, families, and communities. Embolden us to reach out to the people You’ve put in our lives, both in times of need and to encourage those raising children alongside or behind us. Give us a clear understanding of Your purpose for motherhood.
Father, we will not always get it right. Many days, we will struggle to remain sane and snap our patience before the day has barely begun. Come into our hearts full force with Your love and conviction to keep striving towards You. Not towards perfection, and not in comparison, but straight to You. We pray Proverbs 31:15-17 over our lives, today and every day.
“She rises from bed early, in the still of night, carefully preparing food for her family and providing a portion to her servants. She has a plan. She considers some land an buys it; then with her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence, and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand.” (VOICE paraphrase.)
Father, we want our plans to align with Your will. Grow us into confident, hard-working, and strong moms fit for the task at hand. We are not all of these things when our baby first cries, but You are faithful. One day, we will begin to look back and see the traces of Your loving care in the moments we felt overwhelmed and under-qualified. Bless us to be humble reflections of Your grace, glaringly imperfect and dependent on You. Most ardently, we pray to lead our children to Christ. To disciple them well by the way we live our lives and the words of Your inspired wisdom. Bless and guide every word and note of discipline to honor You and server Your purposes.
Through the task of motherhood, let us never lose sight of who we are in Christ. Keep our feet on the path of righteousness and our hearts in pursuit of wisdom. Bless our lives with godly friends and God-centered friendships. Bless and protect our marriages amidst the challenges of parenting. Father God, mold us into the moms you already know we are.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
“I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England.” -John Wesley
Proverbs 31:15-17, "She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”
More prayers for moms …
Moms of Multiples, Postpartum Depression,
What Does the Bible Say about Mothers?
There are over 300 verses containing the word “mother” in the Bible. Scripture is full of women who relied on the strength of God to raise their children.
“Only God Himself appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the holding of character in her children.” -Billy Graham
Motherhood can feel akin to a one-man pit crew. The work will overload and distract us from the joys and blessings of motherhood if we’re focused on perpetual perfection of picking up. Caroline Albanese says it wonderfully in her article titled, “Mothers, Embrace the Mess.” She encourages moms by admonishing, “If you want the abundance, you must embrace the mess.” And Carolyn Mahaney reflects her wisdom through a cherished verse that reminds her and encourages mothers to trust God more. “Trust in the Lord, and do good.” - Psalm 37:3
Pause before the onset of panic in a day filled with never-ending tasks and non-compliant young minds. The best mothers are Christ-centered. They realize the value of proper perspective and godly wisdom. Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.” Motherhood is not the fearful burden our enemy would have us believe, rather a unique blessing and privilege to grow closer to Him. Motherhood shouldn’t be a burden to be feared but a blessing and adventure to embrace. We cannot control our children’s choices, but we can influence them by the life we live. To lead well, we must be immersed in His Word, daily. All wisdom flows from the rich pages of Scripture.
“She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?” -1 Timothy 5:10 NLT
Timothy lived a great life of faith. Many believed in Christ because of his work in sharing the Gospel. Trillia Newbell brilliantly observes in her article, “The Amazing Calling of Being ‘Mom.’” though we don’t know much about Timothy’s father, his mother’s faith was enough to set the tone of his life. If we aim to be 1 Timothy 5:10 mothers, we need to pray this note of Scripture over our lives.
Click here for an additional prayer for mothers.
11 Bible Verses about Mothers and Family
- Exodus 2:8 - "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
- Joshua 24:15b - "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
- Proverbs 22:6 - "Start your children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
- Proverbs 29:17 - "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.”
- Proverbs 31:15-17 - "She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”
- Psalm 127:3 - "Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him."
- Luke 1:46-48 - "And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in my God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,’”
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
- Ephesians 6: 1-3 - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ — which is the first commandment with a promise — ‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.”
- 1 Peter 5:2-3 - "Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
- 1 John 4:19 - "We love because he first loved us.”
Motherhood is a calling. Many moms balance other callings, too. Our children have a front row seat to all the times we get it right and the many times they witness us fall short. Apologizing in those moments teaches them godly humility. Giving glory up when we triumph shows them how to honor God with their gifts and talents. Prayer throughout the day allows them to realize our dependence on God’s strength, over our own. The life we live is our greatest testimony. And perhaps the most important audience is our children.
For more Bible verses on motherhood, click here.
For more verses on parenting, click here.
For more verses on family, click here.
For more inspirational quotes about motherhood, click here.
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