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

For the Momma Whose Heart Is Hurting

This devotion for when your heart is hurting reminds us that the Lord wept when His friend Lazarus died.

“Where are you?”

If you’ve ever uttered that prayer, you can probably relate to the sisters Mary and Martha. Nearly a week had passed since they had sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. They were sure that if Jesus knew his dear friend was gravely ill, He would come. But He hadn’t. Lazarus had passed away. He had been placed into a tomb. And four days had come and gone without the return of Jesus.

He wasn’t busy, distracted, or indifferent. Far from it! Those who loved Lazarus had wanted to see a healing miracle. Jesus wanted them to witness a resurrection.

On that fourth day, when the Lord arrived, the two sisters greeted Him very differently. When Jesus wasn’t far from Bethany, Martha learned that He had come, and she rushed out to meet Him. She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you” (John 11:21-22, ESV).

Jesus responded, “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23, NIV).

Martha returned home to tell her sister, Mary, that Jesus had arrived and wanted to talk with her. Mary quickly rose and went to the place where Martha had met with Jesus. There she fell at His feet, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32, NIV).

Scripture records what happened then:

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see’ (John 11:33-34, ESV).

Luke tells us that Jesus’s next act wasn’t raising Lazarus from the dead; instead, He paused to weep. Jesus, the One who knows all things, the One who sees the end of all things from the beginning, the One who created the world and set it into motion, stopped to cry.

He knew Lazarus would live again. He knew everything. But He stopped to weep because He was deeply moved.

Mommas, just like Mary and Martha, we sometimes don’t understand the Lord’s timing at all. But just as Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth to new life, so He can declare and speak life over every situation that is trying to overwhelm you. I hear Him reminding us that He is present even if something doesn’t turn out the way we hoped. He weeps with us because our pain still moves His heart. God “is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18, NIV). Tonight, let His presence comfort you.

Tonight,we pray for the momma whose heart is hurting. Lord, please remind her that the sun comes out. And she heals. And there is a day when all the pain isn’t as raw, even if it’s still real. Help her see where You stood and remember that even You weep, and every tear of hers You catch, and You keep. Comfort her tonight as only You can,and bless her as she trusts that it’s all in Your hands. We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

In their new book,Tonight We Pray for the Momma, Becky Thompson and her momma, Susan K. Pitts, share one hundred midnight mom devotions and prayers. These are the most beloved prayers shared with their two million followers on their Midnight Mom Devotional online community found on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more atmidnightmomdevotional.com.