Prayer Day 6: Prayers of a Mother by Mary Stewart Rhea

"First of all, then,
I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings be made for everyone,"
- 2 Timothy 2:1

I remember holding my son and daughter for the first time.  This little life placed in my hands. A new human soul brought into this world.  I remember the panic feeling as we left the hospital and were expected to take care of this small being.  My mother moved in for 6 days and even though she lives only two doors down, I cried when she left.   She knew it was time for her to let me learn on my own.
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My mother had been praying for me.  She had prayed over me as a baby and as I grew through elementary school.  Teenage years brought, I am sure, frustrating prayers and cries to the Lord.   I remember groggy mornings waking up looking for my mother to find her in “her chair” having her quiet time before the busy bustle of my working mother’s day began.  Still to this day, if I stop by in the mornings, I will find her sitting in the same spot, eating breakfast, and praying for me, my sisters, my dad, and others friends and family.

I love knowing that she prayed for my husband before we met.  I love how she prayed for my babies everyday in a journal for nine months as I carried them.  I love how she prayed aloud in the car as we went to school or special tryouts for this team or that choir.  I felt them.  I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the prayers of my mother. 

Prayer got me through the first stages of motherhood when my mom left to go those long two doors down.  And prayer will no doubt get me through these elementary years.  As I raise my children, I pray that I can provide the gift of intercessory prayer she provided for me.  I strive to know the right words to pray with them as they grow and experience this life.   

In the same way our family members need our prayers, so does our church family.  Our church would not be where it is today without the prayers of those who came before us.  May we can continue this legacy by praying for those we worship side by side with in this community of faith.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us our earthly parents to teach us your ways and pray over us as we grow.  We pray for our church and all the families who worship you in this place.  We ask your blessings on her as she continues to grow for 150 more years.
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Thought for the Day:  It is important for us to be in intercessory prayer for our immediate and church family.

Written by Mary Stewart Rhea

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