A Prayer about Sorrow and Joy on Mother’s Day

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”  Isaiah 49:15

Heavenly Father,

Today we honor mothers, 

rising up and blessing them 

for their tender care of their children. 

We thank you for nurturing mothers, 

for strengthening and helping them 

to do all of the things asked of moms—

clean, feed, and clothe; 

teach, admonish, and guide; 

counsel, cheer, and encourage….

Even as we do so, 

we recognize this can be a painful day 

for those who want that white rose at church 

but have not been blessed with a child 

or who have lost a child early in life, 

whether in the womb or beyond.

It can be a painful day 

for those whose mothers 

were unable to mother them 

for any number of reasons. 

It can be a painful day 

for those who lost their mothers 

seemingly too soon or in the recent past.

We thank you that we can all come to you, 

the one who nurtures and gathers your children 

and teaches and guides and counsels and encourages us, 

for you care for us wherever we find ourselves on this Mother’s Day. 

In Jesus’ caring name. Amen.

Read Proverbs 31:10-31; Isaiah 49:15-16.