“There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood,” says Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. While I think being a mother is gift from God and an overwhelming privilege, surely not for everyone not an easy task but PRAYER is the Necessity of Motherhood. Real mom pray. Hahah!😀
“While women live in homes under many different circumstances—married, single, widowed, or divorced, some with children and some without—all are beloved of God, and He has a plan for His righteous daughters to receive the highest blessings of eternity.”
First, let me define PRAYER. As a mother, I think Prayer is The Necessity of Motherhood. It’s interceding, making our requests known to our God, our Creator who longs to grant us our hearts desires. It’s surrendering our hearts and souls to God, The Author and The finisher of our faith. It’s spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession to me that every Christ follower can’t live without. PRAYER is The one ingredient every devout Christian, godly parent or mother must add to their daily lives. Mothers, we learn this quickly, when we get up in the morning, we have a long to do list, we rush to get a head start, try to do things with our strengths, power and knowledge, we don’t seek God’s peace and guidance first, we later ended up calling up on Him. At least, that has been my experience. “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”- Psalm 5:8
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”- Psalm 143:8 NIV
As for me, I have a sense of peace and comfort when I seek His presence early in the morning and invite Him to go before me. It doesn’t matter when you pray or how long you pray but as long as you pray. I need to be reminded daily of the fruit of The Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a Christian life according to Paul in his Letter to the Galatians: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” See Galatians 5:22-23
There has been a shift in my prayer life this week and I can’t even explain it but I am so thankful for the gift of prayer and the privilege to approach The Throne of Grace freely and lay my burden at His feet and claim victory over my day.
In the Bible, God cannot resist the prayers of a godly woman, and a godly woman cannot resist communicating with God. In time of sorrow, pain, loneliness, trials, tribulations, doubt and fear, when all else failed, prayer is the key that opened all locked door, break every chains! Most of you have experienced the power of prayer if not personally but through family or closed friends. I have many of those tangible stories and powerful testimonies myself in my close walk with God and from my godly praying mother.
There is no substitute for prayer. It is a necessity to cover our families in prayer more importantly our children. I am proud of many things in life but nothing beats being a praying mother. You will be amazed by the amount of influences we as mothers have on our children. My children watches my every moves, mimic everything that I do and want to be just like me including worshiping, praying and studying the word. They are my keeper and will not default or deviate from the rule even when I want to break them. Oops mommy, we haven’t prayed yet, can we pray together?
Mothers, it’s our duty to pray over children, interced on their behalf and teach them how to pray whether you are single or married, you are to live an exemplary life not only before God but before our children. Whether you like it or not, they are watching and learning from you. The seeds you are sowing today will not only grow but will bear fruits.
Based upon more than my 10 years of ministry and watching my mother prayer habits, I have pondered why it seems a woman can touch the heart of God, move the hand of God, change the mind of God and attract the favor of God, it seems, faster than most men. In part, I believe, it is because men often pray once and move on, accepting whatever happens as God’s will, while a woman will pray unceasingly until the breakthrough manifests. We won’t give up, won’t we? In fact, most of guys would tell you similar stories about their praying grandmother who either raised them, took them to church for the first time and prayed for them but never the dad’s. With all due respect and please understand. I am not saying guys don’t pray my Dad prayed…..we mothers know nothing we do or say can ever substitute for bowing our heads, kneeling and praying for our children.
It’s a spiritual warfare but how do you fight, do you have a WAR Room?
The scripture reminds us to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” –Ephesians 6:11-12 NIV
You may recall the movie WAR Room released last year featuring Actress Priscilla Shirer. A praying woman summon God to help fight her battles, thus transforming her closet space into the titular “war room.” Do you know how important our closet is to us women? Sometimes, it takes for us to give up something that is dear to us in other to fight for something greater. Her role as a submissive woman is to treat the man in her life with grace, which will eventually shame him into becoming a good person. Guess what? God answered her prayer. She prayed consistently, without ceasing as the bible instructs us. She went out of comfort zone and made some personal change which some would consider irrational. Mothers, it is okay to make that irrational change to fight for the warfare against the enemy on our knees.
Let’s look at Jesus’s life and His earthly mother.
Even in the life of Jesus Christ, one consideration worthy of discussion is this: Jesus Christ had an earthly mother but not an earthly father. His emotional connection was with His mother and His spiritual connection was with His heavenly Father.
Mary was the earthly vessel chosen to carry the physical body of the living Son of God. Mary raised Christ of Nazareth, becoming concerned about Him at age 12 when He was missing from the caravan departing from Jerusalem and found debating in the temple (Luke 2:42-52). Mary heard and saw things that she kept hidden in her heart (v. 51). Eighteen years later when Christ began his public ministry, it was His mother who inspired Him to perform His first miracle—turning water into wine, when she instructed the servants, “Whatever He [Jesus] says to you, do it” (John 2:5). It was His mother who faithfully followed His ministry, along with other women named Mary, and like any caring mother who loves her son, she was with Him at the foot of the cross during His final moments on earth.
During the six hours of Christ’s intense and unbearable suffering, He looked down and saw Mary standing beside His beloved disciple, John (John 19:25-27).
Perhaps at this moment, with the agony Mary felt she recalled the personal prophecy, she received from an old rabbi at the temple shortly after Christ’s birth. More than 33 years prior in Jerusalem, a few hundred yards from where she was now standing, Rabbi Simeon saw the infant Christ and told Mary that a sword will pierce through her own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:35).
Christ saw His mother, a woman of flesh and blood who had given Him life, raised Him and followed His ministry, now watching the drama of the ages unfold as scene one of the redemption story was being written in His blood. Christ saw the broken heart of His mother as John led her away just before He breathed His last.
I am a result of my mother’s prayers.
See, Christ loves mothers and is drawn to their tears, words and prayers. After all, He lived in the house, ate her cooking, saw her clean His clothes and His room and knew she was blessed above all women. Mary is called the wife of Joseph and when speaking of Christ she is called “His mother” eight times in Matthew (Matt. 1:18; 2:11; 13-14; 20-21; 12:46; 13:55).
Christ’s Father was heavenly, but His mother was earthly and His first miracle was motivated by His mother’s instructions (see John 2:4-5). When Mary approached Christ for help, He said. “My hour [to perform miracles] has not yet come. Without responding to Him, Mary turned to the servants and said, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:4-5).
At that moment Mary gave the mission statement for Christ’s entire ministry. What God tells you to do, just do it.
There is a certain authority that is released when a mother turns her attention to Christ and begins to speak a word that will alter the present situation and create a miracle for the future.
The spiritual authority behind the Word of God and the name of Jesus becomes the two weapons of war in any spiritual battle. In the New Testament believers are promised both power (Acts 1:8) and authority (Luke 10:19). The power promised to believers when we receive the Holy Spirit is transferable through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 6:6; 8:18; 13:3; 1 Tim. 4:14). Authority, however, is released by your words.
This same type of authority can be released through your prayers, when you understand you are a member of the greatest kingdom in the universe and have been given authority over all the powers of the enemy! I also believe that Praying not only affects us, it also reaches out and touches those for whom we pray.
When we pray for our children, we are asking God to make His presence a part of their lives and work powerfully in their behalf. An important part of our job is to keep the details of our child’s life covered in prayer. In doing this, I learned to identify every concern, fear, worry, or possible scenario that came into my mind as a prompting by the Holy Spirit to pray for that particular thing.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” — JOHN 15:16
At the end of the day, I’m a stubborn, flawed, impatient, high-strung, over emotional woman. But thankfully I have one person in this universe to turn to, that has the power to change my heart that will ultimately guide my path, to the person I am still meant to become.
A mother’s prayer is valuable to God. God longs to hear us lift our family in prayer.
When I’m lost, when I’m feeling blessed, when I’m doubtful, when I’m worried, when I’m angry, when I’m anxious, when I’m frustrated, when I’m weak and tired and don’t think I can make it through another day…I pray. I hope you make it habit to pray too! And If you are like me, you get anxious sometimes, right? It is our clue to turn to God in prayer.
Hebrews says that because of Jesus, we can come to the throne of grace with confidence, to receive the help we need (Hebrews 4:16). Why not? Paul was referring to chronic worry when he wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” We are to give our worries to God in prayer, trusting him with all our burdens and cares. As a result, we will receive in return the peace we long for, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Are you worried, lost for words, you want to pray but don’t know how start?
You might even pray something like this. . . .
A Prayer for the Worried Heart
My Father in Heaven,
I come to you with a heart heavy and full of so many worries and cares. I want to just curl up on your lap and find some peace from the chaos in my life. My worries fill my mind night and day. My stomach is in knots and I can hardly breathe. I feel like I am drained dry; the joy has been sucked right out of me.
But you said to come to you with all my burdens. You said that you will carry them. You tell us you are a rock, a shield, a fortress. I need a rock right now. I need a fortress to run into right now. I need you.
There are so many decisions to make. What if I make the wrong one? So many bad things loom on the horizon, what if I’m not prepared? Help me to focus my heart on you and not on the giants around me. I know that all these worries are keeping me from trusting you. Like Peter, instead of looking toward your face, I am looking around at the waves encircling me.
Forgive me for doubting and not living a life of trust. I believe, but please help my unbelief! I know that when I worry, I am believing a lie that says that I can control what happens in my life. Forgive me for trying to control something I never really had control of. Help me to trust in your word and not the lies.
You sent your Son to carry my greatest burden at the cross. I know that you can handle all that troubles me today. There is nothing too great for you, the earth is your footstool and the wind and rain come and go at your command. Free me of this worry today. Help me to trust the same grace that saved me at the cross to save me from all that weighs me down.
I know that you have a perfect plan for my life. Help me to walk by faith and not by sight. I want to trust in your plan and your love for me. I want to face the unknown future confident that you have it under control. Grant me the grace I need.
Thank you for Jesus and that because of him I can come to you in confidence. You accept me as I am, worries and all. I give them all to you now, in Jesus’s name, Amen!
I hope this post encourages you and helps you to better strengthen your prayer life. Please subscribe, comment and share this post.
Finaly, If you make it to the end of this post and you are a mother, I want to personally wish you a Happy Mother’s Day from my little family to yours! Let’s us continue to cover our family in prayer.
Do you have a prayer request? I would love to pray for you. Leave your request below.
Blessings,
Flore💕🎀💕
