A Mother’s Prayers
I’ve prayed for my sons before they were even born. I’ve prayed for all aspects of their life: physical health and development, emotional growth and maturity, behavioral challenges and struggles, and most importantly, their spiritual life. I prayed the Lord would ratify the covenant in their hearts and bring them to faith in Christ. I then rejoiced when He did so. I’ve prayed for their maturity and growth in faith, and for the Lord to protect their minds and hearts from evil, keeping them in His sovereign care.
As they’ve grown into adulthood, my prayers continue. As their problems and cares grew from childhood concerns into adult-sized concerns, I’ve persisted in my prayers for them. God has graciously answered some prayers and continues to be at work in others. But more and more, I’m seeing this new season of parenting as one that is steeped in prayer.
When Mothers Pray
While prayer is something we as moms do for our children no matter their age or stage, it’s especially important for us to pray for our adult children. As we watch them leave the nest and go out into the world on their own—attending college, building a career, starting a family—we don’t have the same influence over their lives as we once did. This makes prayer all the more important.
I can’t help but think of St. Augustine and the prayers of his mother, Monica. She was a pious woman who loved the Lord, yet married an unbeliever. In the ancient world, male children would follow their father's religion, so Monica could not pass on her faith to Augustine, nor could she have him baptized. However, she did bring him to church and teach him about Jesus Christ. Growing up, Augustine heard his mother sing hymns and pray for him to come to faith. Later in life, he would look back on her dedication to pray for him with gratitude and thanksgiving. He wrote in his work, Confessions: “You sent your hand from above, and raised my soul out of that depth of darkness because of my mother, Your faithful one, wept to You for me more bitterly than mothers weep for the bodily deaths of their children.”
After years of searching and trying out different religions and beliefs, after pursuing all the lusts of the flesh and looking for life in empty places, Augustine finally came to faith in Christ. When he told his mother about his conversion, she rejoiced over this good news. Not long later, she became sick and died. Monica died having seen the fruit of all her prayers for her son. But she didn’t see what God would do next in Augustine’s life. Did she even imagine that he would become the bishop of Hippo? As she prayed for him to turn from his wayward ways and trust in Christ, did she picture him writing books and preaching sermons? Monica did not know the lasting impact her son’s work would have on the Church, one that continues to this day.
Beyond Our Imagination
This story of one mother’s dedication to praying for her son reminds us that God does far more with our prayers than we can imagine. It’s another way God is gracious to us. He calls us to pray and then uses those prayers to carry out His will. He doesn’t need our prayers but chooses to use them. They are a means of His grace for us. Monica’s story of prayer also shows me how limited my imagination is. I’m nearsighted in my prayers for my sons. I think I know what God is capable of and pray in such a limited way. I even tell Him my ideas about how He ought to work in their lives! Yet, despite my weaknesses and my limited imagination about all that God can do, He uses prayer in ways I simply cannot grasp or fathom:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20
This means we need to bring all those worries and anxieties we have for our adult children to the throne of grace. We need to entrust our cares for them to the God who loves them far more than we do and know that He hears us and answers us. We also need to be creative in our prayers, knowing that our God is bigger and greater than our minds can fathom. His grace is greater; His knowledge is beyond our comprehension; His plan for our children is far better than the one we’ve desired for them.
Dear praying moms, your prayers matter. So, keep praying. Expect God to do great things through those prayers. Like Augustine’s mother, you may not see all the ways God uses your prayers in this life, but know that your prayers have an impact into eternity.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
What prayers do you have for your adult children? What can God do with those prayers?
PRAYER
Father in heaven, You are a good Father who loves our family. You love my children. I come before You with my heart heavy with worries for them. Please hear my prayers on their behalf. Intercede in their lives and do good works in them. Help me to trust and expect You to do amazing things. Guard my heart with Your peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Christina Fox received her undergraduate degree from Covenant College and her master’s in counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She is a retreat speaker, content editor for enCourage, and the author of multiple books, including Closer Than a Sister: How Union with Christ Helps Friendships to Flourish, Idols of a Mother’s Heart, and Like Our Father: How God Parents Us and Why That Matters for Our Parenting. She also works in alumni relations for Covenant College. Christina prefers her coffee black and from a French press, and enjoys antiquing, hiking, traveling, and reading. She lives in Chattanooga with her husband, where they are empty nesters. You can find her at @christinarfox.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
