Our Mother's Day Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for meeting us where we are as your children and help us to realize that we are here today for your sake and not ours.
As we gather in worship this morning, we bow before you and praise you for the display of Your perfection in the mothers You have gifted to us. For those who comfort, those who nourish, and those who encourage our daily walk with You.
For those who are moms here today, Please help us delight in our children, celebrate who they are, slow down and listen to their hearts, teach them grace, and cherish our time with them. May we do so because of You in us. May we communicate Your gentleness, Your compassion and Your sensitivity.
And for those moms who are having a difficult time mothering well, may You provide for us patience, gratitude and an eagerness to walk more closely with You.
For those who have lost their mothers, Lord
May You bring them comfort as they honor the joy their mothers brought into their lives. For those whose mothers are still living but in decline, give them the grace to uphold their moms with dignity and to allow them to cherish the time you've given to them.
For those who are here this morning and are yearning to become mothers,
May the desires of their hearts be Your will. May we understand your perfect timing and that Your plans for us are greater than all we could ever imagine. In any circumstance Lord, may we be able to say that "You are enough."
For the birthmothers who know what it feels like to place a child in the arms of another, trusting that they are making the best decisions for their child,
May we honor them today. May we never forget the sacrifices they made by choosing to carry the life inside of them.
For the moms in our community and around the world who have chosen the sanctity of life, Lord, but now are struggling to care for their children.
May the Body of Christ bring them comfort and strength, may we be Your hands and feet to them in times of sorrow and distress.
May we see their trials as an opportunity not to judge, but to step out, believing in Your strength to help, instead of letting our limitations defeat us. May we walk alongside these women and their children by providing them a safe place to seek refuge and by sharing Your love with them.
For the moms who cannot care for their children due to poverty, violence, abuse, addiction, and HIV/AIDS,
For those who cannot parent due to the social stigma of their condition,
May we be eager to join you as the Father to the Fatherless and may you use us as an extension of Your Holy hand.
May we grow to understand that by being adopted into Your family as weak and powerless sinners, we have the obligation to care for those who are weak and powerless in this world.
And it is for THESE children, Lord, that we also pray.
These children that You created so wonderfully and knit together in their mother's womb.
These children who were NOT a mistake and now live in a broken world.
For the children of Uganda, who have been left behind and imprisoned, at no fault of their own.
For the children of Ethiopia who are starving, malnourished and sick.
And for the children of Zimbabwe who are too young to care for their siblings, but do so anyway. Everyday and everynight.
For the children in Asia and Europe who are sold into trafficking and never have a chance to learn to trust those who care for them.
For the children of Casa Hogar who live daily without their moms and now will not feel the loving arms of the many moms and dads from this church and many others, due to violence in the city where they live.
For those children waiting right in our own backyard who are older and pray everynight for a forever family to love them.
And for those who just need a temporary home, a safe place to lay their heads amd be tucked in at night. A place to hear--"You are adored".
May we seek opportunities to welcome these children into our hearts, into our homes and into our church.
May we pay attention to Your treasures and lavish Your love upon them.
May we simply ask oursleves how we can make a deposit in ONE child today, loving others as we love ourselves, pursuing with a passion "the least of these."
Lord,
Break our hearts for what breaks yours. Help us to open our eyes, to have the courage to look into the faces of these children, to learn their names and love them as You love us. These are Your beloved children and as a Body of Christ we are held responsible for caring for them. Help us to open our hearts and our homes to those who need a safe place, who need to feel the love of a mom and a dad and a Heavenly Father who knows them so well.
We thank you Lord that motherhood goes well beyond having babies.
We thank you Lord for the many mothers in our lives who have taught us about Your character, Your compassion and Your love.
May Covenant Church be a haven of families who love moms and who love children well. May we live out the scriptures by meeting them where THEY are, loving them, serving them, and leading them to You.
May we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Mother's Day 2011, Covenant Church (A special thank you to Kristin, Beth, and the many words of inspiration from blogs, books and of course the Bible.)