Being a mother takes prayer and lots of it! The Bible tells the story of a Shunammite woman who graciously provided the prophet Elisha with food and a place to stay whenever Elisha’s journeys brought him near to her home. Although this woman asked for nothing in return, Elisha, learning she had no son, promised her that God would bless her with a son.
As with all of God’s promises, the promise was kept, and a baby boy was born. One day after the child was old enough to go out into the fields with his father, he fell ill. The child was brought to his mother where he died later that day while sitting in her lap.
Immediately, this mother laid her child down and implored her husband, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God… Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down the pace for me… (2 Kings 4:22-24, NASB)
As mothers, we must practice, learn, and remember to hurry to God when our children face struggles, difficult circumstances, and suffering. Nothing is too small, too big, or too impossible for you to bring to God for your child. Instead of allowing ourselves to be engulfed with anxiety, wearying ourselves trying to fix the problem, or frantically gathering counsel from others, you and I must go to God first.
Being a mother has vividly taught me there is no way I can get through my day without God. If I fail to begin my day asking for His help, I am unraveled by mid-morning and my effectiveness and gentleness as a mother spirals downward the rest of the day. I can only be and do what God has called me to be and do by His strength.
When I stop and take time to tell my Lord that I know the day before me is His and that I need Him to enable me to be the mother He desires me to be, somehow, I not only survive the day but do so with joy and peace inside. Of course, this does not mean my children will be angels, my house will be spotless, and dinner will taste good – but it does mean I can supernaturally have a calm spirit even when my children are throwing fits, my feet are sticking to the floor, and dinner is burned.
Prayer is not bound by time. In Revelation 5:8, the Bible refers to golden bowls full of incense as being the prayers of the saints. When I pray, I see myself filling up bowls of prayers for my children which God can pour down upon them anytime during their life. This means you can simultaneously pray your child will finally be potty-trained and pray for their future spouse as well. Our God is eternal, and I believe anything we give to Him becomes eternal as well.
There is nothing stronger you can do for your child than pray, because God is all-knowing and all powerful.
“…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)
