These prayers for Mother’s Day are written for anyone who wants to honor a mother, pray for her, or give thanks to God for the woman who raised them. Pray the main prayer slowly on the day itself, or in the days leading up to it, and read it aloud as written or use it as a starting point for your own words.
Prayers for Mother’s Day
Father, thank you for the mothers who have carried, fed, comforted and corrected the people in our lives. Thank you for the hours no one saw, the sleepless nights, the quiet sacrifices that made ordinary days possible. Today we ask you to bless the mothers we know and love. Be near to the ones who are tired, the ones who are grieving a child or a parent, the ones who long to be mothers and have not yet been given that gift, and the ones who carry the hard memories of a difficult childhood.
Lord, where a mother is weary, give her rest that goes deeper than sleep. Where a mother is anxious for her children, remind her that you love them more than she ever could and that you hold them even when she cannot. Where a mother has been hurt or let down, be the healing she needs, and bring people into her life who will speak kindness to her. Help the children and grown children who are grateful today to say so clearly, and help those whose relationships are strained to find a little peace, even if only one small step at a time.
Thank you that you are called a comforter, a provider and a faithful parent to us all. Let every mother feel that she is seen, remembered and loved by you. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, thank you for mothers and for the love they give. Bless the mother who is on my mind today, and give her strength, peace and joy. Where she is tired, refresh her. Where she is hurting, comfort her. Help me to honor her with words and actions that show her how much she means. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Proverbs 31:28
Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her…
(WEB)
Pray this verse as a thank you to God for the mother in your life, asking him to let her hear, through you or others, that her children rise up and call her blessed.
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
(WEB)
Use this verse to thank God for the gift of children, whether you are a mother, a mother-to-be, or someone grateful for the mother who raised you.
Isaiah 66:13
As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
(WEB)
Pray this verse for mothers who need to feel comforted, asking God to show them the tender care he has for his people as a mother comforts a child.
Psalm 131:2
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
(WEB)
Let this verse shape your prayer for a mother who is worn out, asking God to calm her heart the way a weaned child rests quietly against its mother.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(WEB)
Pray this passage for a mother who worries about her children or grieves a loss, asking that nothing would separate her or them from the love of God.
How to Pray This Prayer
Many people find it helpful to pray on Mother’s Day morning, before the phone starts ringing and the house gets busy. Sit somewhere quiet, perhaps at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, and read the prayer aloud slowly. If you are praying for a mother who has died, or for a relationship that is hard right now, pause after each paragraph and let your own memories or feelings rise up before you move on.
You can also pray this prayer with someone else. A spouse, a sibling, or a friend can take turns reading the paragraphs, and it can be meaningful for a family to pray together over a grandmother, a stepmother, or a foster mother who has given so much. Writing the names of the mothers you are praying for on a card and placing it near your Bible can keep the prayer going long after the day has passed.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord who knit each mother together in her own mother’s womb keep her in his care. May she know she is loved, rested, and remembered by the God who never forgets the faithful work of her hands. May her children, near or far, be quick to speak thanks and slow to forget the grace she has shown.
