For some of us, our mothers are our most enthusiastic supporters who have been there for us through the highs and lows. For others, it may be more complicated. Just sitting across from our mums can hurt.

Regardless, the Bible calls us to honour our parents (Ephesians 6:2-3). Honouring our mothers can look different for each of us, be it spending time with her over a meal, expressing our affection towards her, or even extending forgiveness to her.

As we obey God’s Word and learn how to honour our mothers amid life’s complexities, let’s give her the best gift possible: Committing her to the Lord in prayer.

Here are 8 ways to pray for all types of mums.

A prayer for the stay-at-home mum

She spends around 200 hours a month running a household, with much of her effort often going unnoticed and unappreciated.

Homemaking has many challenges, yet the stay-at-home mother chooses such a life because it brings her the joy of being there for her children through all their milestones, as well as serving the family that God has blessed her with (Proverbs 31:26-28).

Stay-at-home mothers do it all: Their duties go beyond meal planning, nursing sick family members and taking care of children. Photo by Kian Zhang on Unsplash.

Pray for your stay-at-home mum like this:

Dear Lord, thank You for the commitment that my mum has made in bringing us up. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be her guide, granting her Your wisdom and strength to look after us and the home. While her efforts often go unseen and her chores seem unending, please refresh her and help her find deep purpose in serving You in the mundane. Help me to delight in serving her, too. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for the working mum

She is the ultimate multitasker who gives her best from 9-5 and also holds nothing back when she heads home after work. Yet, she often wonders: “Have I done enough?”

From day to night and night to day, working mums handle stress and expectations from the office and their homes. Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash.

Pray for your working mum like this:

Dear God, thank you for giving my mum many gifts, skills and talents. Please give her the wisdom to juggle all that is on her plate, and the grace to fulfil the roles You have placed her in at work and at home. Bless her work and remind her to work heartily for You and not for man (Colossians 3:23). Bless her family – her marriage and relationships with her children – as she strives to love them with Your love. In all things, teach her to surrender her time and commitments to You, and prioritise walking closely with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for the single mum

When heartbreak or loss leaves her raising her children alone, the single mother carries a heavy weight of both caring and providing for her family. However, there is comfort to be found in God’s treatment of a single mum recorded in Genesis 16.

Left to fend for herself twice, Hagar, Sarah’s slave, first runs away to escape her mistress’ mistreatment of her – while pregnant, no less. Later, she is sent away to die in the wilderness with her son, Ishmael. The load was too great for her to bear alone.

Yet, God saw Hagar’s distress and promised to provide for and protect them. “You are the God who sees me,” Hagar then declares to the Lord (Genesis 16:13).

Pray for your single mum like this:

Dear God, thank you for being the God who sees us. It has been exhausting for my mum to support us, heal from brokenness and figure out how to move forward alone. I pray that Your grace will see my mum through every hurdle and difficulty. As she trusts in You, help her to experience Your compassion and provision, that she may realise that You are more than enough for her. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for the sandwiched mum

Caught between her aging parents and her children, she heads for medical appointments with the elderly in the morning and ends the day helping with her little ones with homework.

Yet, despite being pulled in many directions, she presses on in serving those God has put in her life.

Pray for your sandwiched mum like this:

Dear God, You know the burdens that my mum shoulders. You see her heart. Please strengthen her when she’s weary (Isaiah 40:28-31) by your Holy Spirit and your Word. When she feels alone, remind her that Your strength and grace are enough, and that she can fully trust in You (Psalms 20:7). May she find refuge in You when she feels like everything is falling apart (Psalms 46:1-3). Help me to also understand, love and support her well. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for mothers who love beyond blood ties

Love is a choice, as exemplified by the women who have stepped up to fulfil parental roles to those in need, be it through adoption, fostering or just being a spiritual parent.

Sowing into people’s lives, these bold women of faith commit to making the Gospel real to others. Photo by Cal Gao on Unsplash.

She takes great pains in guiding people towards maturity (Galatians 4:19), modelling godly living and teaching sound doctrine (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8). Displaying godliness, she also equips others to live out the Gospel (Titus 2:3-5).

Pray for your non-biological or spiritual mothers like this:

Dear God, thank You for the non-biological/ spiritual mothers in my life who have given of their time, resources and energy to nurture and guide me in Your ways. Please bless them as they continue to point others to You intentionally and with love. May they also walk intimately with You and glorify You all their days. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for the grieving mum

Perhaps your mum is not in the best place this season. She may have lost family, friends or a spouse, and is grieving.

When was the last time you checked in on your mother? Photo by Maccy on Unsplash.

Naomi (meaning ‘pleasant’) was a mother in the Bible who had experienced such anguish. She had lost her husband and both her sons while in a foreign land during a famine, and only her daughter-in-law, Ruth, remained.

What would remain of her and her lineage? She had lost all hope.

Returning to Bethlehem, she told others to call her Mara (meaning ‘bitter’) instead, believing God had deserted and afflicted her. However, God redeems her pain when Boaz marries Ruth, continuing the line with David and, later, Jesus (Ruth 4:13-22).

Pray for your heartbroken mum like this:

Dear God, I lift my mum up to You. You know what she’s been through and how difficult it is to carry this weight. Would you be her strength? Give her the assurance that You are close to the brokenhearted and You save those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Please help her to know your comfort. Assure her that You care deeply for her and have not forgotten her tears (Psalm 23:4). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for waiting mums

For those struggling with infertility, Mothers’ Day might be a painful reminder of an out-of-reach dream.

In Samuel 1, a barren Hannah understood what it was like to wait for the impossible. She, too, felt like her body had betrayed her. Her pain was exacerbated by her husband’s lack of understanding, and his other wife’s taunts.

She often wept bitterly and would not eat (1 Samuel 1:1-19). In her despair, she cried out to God, who saw her tears. In his time, He gave her a son who would later become Israel’s prophet, priest and judge, Samuel.

Pray for a waiting mum like this:

Dear God, thank You for being the Giver of life. You know the desires of her heart and how deeply she yearns for a child. You also see the disappointment that she has endured, and the feeling that You have forgotten her. Comfort her with Your presence and assure her that You are with her. Help her to trust that You have a perfect plan for her life, and that You are a good, loving Father who does not withhold good gifts from those He loves. Through this journey of waiting, help her to commit her dreams into Your hands, trusting that You are far more precious that anything else You can give to her. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for distant or absent mums

Deep down, our inner child longs to be loved by her. Photo by Kazuend on Unsplash.

Not all of us have a good relationship with our mothers.

Perhaps you feel like there’s a wall between the both of you each time you try to communicate. Perhaps you feel like your differences are insurmountable. Perhaps you are struggling to extend forgiveness to her for hurting you.

As you try to rebuild your relationship with your mother, pray for her – and yourself – and believe that He will one day restore and redeem your relationship.

Pray for your distant mum (and yourself!) like this:

Dear Lord, You know how much I struggle in my relationship with my mother. Please give me patience and help me show grace to her when it feels hard to love her. Soften my heart when I’m prideful or wrong (Ephesians 4:2). Help me to extend kindness and compassion, forgiving her the way You’ve forgiven me (Ephesians 4:32). I also ask that You will bless her richly, that she will experience Your great love. Provide for her every need, and bring into her life people who love and care for her. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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