Monday, May 14, 2012

Everybody Needs A Praying Mama

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16b NIV

(©africa FreeDigitalPhotos)


For those of us in the United States, yesterday was Mother's Day. I thank God for my mama, and my late grandmother. I also have had many mother-figures and big-sister figures. I feel really blessed for all of them who have helped me in this life. They have helped mold me, and keep me from going over the brink, and helped me get back when I do drop off. While listening to First Lady Hill at The Potter House of Denver online, she mentioned listening to a friend as they taught, but then had to cut it off when she started teaching about what the first lady was going to preach on for Sunday.

I'm sitting in church, minding my own, listening to my pastor preach, and also formulating this post, when he started talking about praying mothers. I paid close attention, but there may be some similarities. But those reading this didn't hear it, and this post is me saying we all need praying mamas. That's my sorta disclaimer.

You reading this should know the effectiveness of prayer. And praying for others ups your power. The best people to pray for you, other than yourself, is your family. I'm not excluding or belittling friendships, because many of us have friendships that resemble family, because I have praying friends who I know will pray when asked. I just know we turn to family first. I didn't always think like that, but I got older and I now know better.

Whatever is going on in your world, not only do you back it up in prayer, but get your mother (or mother-figure) to back you up in prayer. And my mama and my friends helped. Sometimes I wasn't sure who was praying, but I knew my moms was.

My mother has always put the needs of her family above her own. Besides making sure all of our needs were taken care of,  there were extras: like making sure I always had hot dogs. Or making sure my father had his beloved meatloaf or black walnut ice cream. Every now and again she would make her beloved apricot nectar cake and she had her a cup of Coke daily, but the focus was on us. She'd even bake an apricot nectar cake for my cousin, when asked.

Praying Mamas Are Like Job

But as she got older, my mama's prayer life grew exponentially. She will pray for you, whether you want her to or not. In this instance, praying mothers are like Job. They know their children well enough to cover them in hopes they won't do wrong or in the case that they do. I might not have told her everything, but what I did, I knew she prayed for me. I would feel sorry for those who messed with me, cuz I would run and tell Mama. Having her praying over me would add to my prayers and we all know what happens when God gets involved.

Praying Mamas Keep Their Eyes On The Prize

Being everything her God needs to further His kingdom means she is doing a lot of listening to hear His voice. My grandmother was faithful to her church. She was faithful to her God. Her family was her next priority. My former pastor taught that the order was God, family, church, then work. My granny was the living embodiment of that. When her church moved, my grandmother moved to the closest senior living center. In her case, one was right next door. My grandmother was helpful to all those who needed her help, and she was loathe to be a burden to anyone, so this location worked best. She would worry that my job would get upset the one time I took her to the doctor.

Praying Mamas Are Intercessors

When life found me on the side of the road literally, I was all alone. I had just put my parents on a plane, and was about to walk in to the building where I worked, when I tripped and fell, and began the period that has tested me the most so far. Things did not start clicking until I contacted my mother that night. The two of us were in agreement in prayer though miles apart. All I needed was to take that leap of faith. I was covered so I did it. Children are covered in all that they do when parents cover them in prayers. In this day and age, you have to pray for your children and even all of the people they come in contact with.

When Mama is a woman after God's own heart, her children have no choice but to call her blessed. Ad my mama's blessed, y'all. At some point, I went from being my mother's only child, to having to share her with others. I carried the load of providing the Mother's Day gifts, and now someone else wants to give her those roses she wants before she goes to glory or however that quote goes. 

Can you imagine what life would be like if we all had praying mamas?

Be Blessed and Stay Encouraged!

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