Tonight We Pray for the Momma: Hope for the Midnight Moments of Motherhoodنموونە

For the Momma Who Needs a Break

Once Jesus began His public ministry, the crowds grew and followed Him wherever He went. He would teach, heal, and deliver hearts from pain and torment. He loved vibrantly and taught His disciples by example.

But the Bible is also clear about another important aspect of Jesus’s life and ministry: The reason He was able to continually give others His time and attention was because He leaned on the presence of the Holy Spirit and communion with His Father through prayer. Scripture says, “He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray” (Luke 5:16, BSB). Jesus understood the value of taking a break. As mommas, this practice is imperative to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

One of the most poignant scenes in the Gospels is Jesus’s reaction when He was told that Herod had killed His cousin John the Baptist. Upon hearing the news, Jesus attempted to find a place to be alone. But this story shows something interesting. When Jesus attempted to withdraw, the crowds followed Him. Yet He had compassion on them, taught them, and fed them. He met their needs and only then returned to His original aim, to be alone with the Father: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23, NIV).

Here’s what we love: Jesus didn’t just model how important it was to take this time alone with God; He showed us how impossible it can be. He knows what it’s like when your heart is heavy, and you just need a minute, but those who need you are at your door. He knows what it’s like to have the people you’ve been given to love and care for pursue you even when you need a moment of peace. We love that we have a God who knows the importance of a break but who also knows how hard it can be to find one in the middle of a busy day. We can ask God not just to help us see the value in prayer and time alone but to help create those moments and meet us in them. God understands. He knows. And He will help us.

Tonight, we pray for the momma who needs a break. Lord, she makes so many decisions for so many people. She never stops moving. Tonight, Lord, she is tired and just needs a minute. Please make a way for this momma to have some space to breathe and meet her there. We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.