12 Bible Verses for Moms to Hold Close
- Annie Yorty Crosswalk Contributing Writer
- Updated Jan 31, 2022
I can't even remember life without her. This thought surprised me about a week after becoming a mom for the first time. Hopes and dreams for my baby's future took root in the soil of this overwhelming mother love. Such deep love risks hurt, and I became aware of a new vulnerability. Such vulnerability provoked fear expressed in worry—a myriad of "what ifs" invaded my mind, destroying peace and joy.
What if…My child is hurt? I don't know what to do? She turns away from God? I mess up? She never learns to be independent? I can't provide what she needs?
That's why moms need to know the truth about God and His heart toward our children. Only God's promises truly dispel our worries. We can stand firm in any circumstance of parenting by holding them close.
Bible Verses for Moms to Hold Close
1. Then she [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees me"; for she said, "Have I even seen Him here and lived after He saw me" (Genesis 16:13)?
Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, uttered these words after an astonishing encounter with God in not only a literal wilderness but also the wilderness of her despair. A lowly slave, she had been used and abused. She fled the situation, sure that no one cared if she lived or died. But God not only cared for Hagar, but He also personally encouraged her to go back and continue her service.
Let's face it. Mom's daily work is often undervalued and thankless. No one awards high-fives or bonuses for changing diapers, wiping noses, and endless chauffeuring. No one really knows your doubts and struggles. But El Roi, the God who sees, takes note of you. And He encourages you to keep on keeping on, to be a faithful servant, first to Him, and then to your family.
2. Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored, and I love you (Isaiah 43:4a).
I love you. That's a phrase you probably don't hear often enough, especially as your kids grow older. But when you feel unloved, when your love tank runs dry, hold tightly to this verse. You, Mama, the real you, are precious to God. God knows you deeply, and He loves you. His perfect and unconditional love will sustain you, casting out all fear.
3. I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my pleas. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live (Psalm 116:1-2).
Have you ever been at wit's end with your child's behavior? Or so tired you can't see straight? I'm reminded daily I can't parent on my own. As a mom, I want God on speed dial. No, I need God on speed dial. This verse reminds us God is always available every time we call to Him. We never need to wait in line. What difference does it make in your mothering to know God is ready to answer your cry for help right now?
4. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Wouldn't it be great to have a parenting playbook? One that reveals the magic formula for doing everything just right? With so many parenting resources available, we sometimes get caught up in this type of thinking.
But by God's design, there is no formula to follow that guarantees a specific outcome. Instead, God wants us to entirely rely on His Spirit for wisdom to apply biblical principles rather than trusting human wisdom. Sure, He provides mentors and godly examples of parenting. But God is the only true authority on our children. Ask for His wisdom daily, and His answer is always "yes" (James 1:5).
5. The Lord's acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Have you ever just blown it? Lost your temper and took it out on your kids? Or maybe you had a grand plan for the day, and none of it got done. Was it one of those days where you barely got everyone fed? Mama, you're not alone. I have had more days like that than I care to admit.
But we must confess. That is the pathway to God's mercy. At the end of a day, isn't it comforting to hold onto the promise of new mercies with the dawn of a new day? You haven't irrevocably ruined your children. You can enjoy a fresh start every morning because God has covered you and your children in His umbrella of mercy and grace.
6. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21).
Moms want to know their children are walking in the truth, secure in Christ (3 John 1:4). This weighs heavily upon us as we shape the next generation. Consequently, we often take on more responsibility than we should. We are Christ's ambassadors to our children, not their saviors.
As we consistently point our children to Christ, we can relax knowing that He is Savior. And when our children surrender to Him, they are fully saved. Even when they throw tantrums. Even when they sin repeatedly. And even when they rebel against our authority. God's grace, often extended through moms, will cover them until they grow to maturity in Him.
7. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Moms are in this parenting gig for the long haul. When you're knee-deep in diapers, though, you wonder how it will all turn out. When teens are stretching your last nerve, it's hard to imagine them grown up and independent. And there are countless moments of doubt in between.
But God promises that He is not only the Author of your child's life, but He's also the One who brings them to maturity. It doesn't all depend on you, Mama, so you can relax and let God be God.
8. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict (Hebrews 11:23).
The mother of Moses stared down the barrel into the greatest fear of a mother's heart: someone hurting her child. Egypt's pharaoh demanded the life of every Hebrew baby boy. Moses was just three months old when his mother released him from her care onto the Nile River with nothing but a basket as protection. Ultimately, Moses ended up in the lair of the evil Pharaoh himself.
The news today is filled with alarming reports of evil. We are inclined to protect our kids from every possible hurt. Yet our hearts recognize the impossibility and impracticality of completely shielding our children. How can we be unafraid like Moses' mother? The verse in Hebrews gives the key—faith. Only by faith, we gain the power to release our children, trusting God with the barrage of hurts awaiting them.
9. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matthew 6:33).
What is your top priority as a mom? Your kids' education? Their character? Safety? Future independence? Many concerns assail moms, but this verse helps us to remember that the formation of righteousness, only found through faith in Jesus, must be the number one duty on the list every day. Once we prioritize our child's relationship with Jesus, other needs fall into place.
10. For His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).
Because I have a child with special needs, I cling to this beautiful promise. God gives me everything I need to accomplish His will as a mom. I also have children without labeled needs, but I have learned every child has individual, and might I say, special, needs. There are no two children who are alike.
What's a mom to do? How can we meet all these unique needs? We can rely on the fact that God has created each child and knows each specific need. Isn't it comforting to know He imparts that wisdom to moms on an 'as needed' basis?
11. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).
Moms face immense pressure to conform. New moms often look to other moms for advice and encouragement. As kids grow up, they also pressure parents to behave the same as everyone else. No one wants to stand out. To look weird. But as Christ-followers, we should be different. Mothers, cling to this verse to resist conforming to the world's pattern for parenting. Be willing to stand firm and stand out for the Lord, demonstrating His will in your lives.
12. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
This well-known verse from Philippians often gets misconstrued. Moms, thinking it means they can and should be doing "all things," wind up feeling condemned when they realize they can't do it all. But Paul's context provides a different understanding. Just before these words, he discussed how he had lived with plenty as well as scarcity, yet he was content in every circumstance.
Moms, too, have parenting seasons of plenty and want. Seasons of ease and hardship. Of success and apparent failure. But God has a plan to grow and prosper you and your children through every season. That's why we, like Paul, can experience contentment as we hold onto this verse.
Experience Parenting Peace
God's word offers many more promises that moms can hold onto when doubt and fear interrupt the peace and joy God designed for parenting. They all seem to boil down to one thing—trust. We can learn much from Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. Though he was her only child, a miracle son born in her old age, Hannah relinquished her control of Samuel to dedicate him to the Lord at the age of three (1 Samuel 1:28). Hannah held onto God's promise that both her child and her own vulnerable mother's heart were safe in His capable, trustworthy hands.
Dear mothers, like Hannah, you too can rest securely in God's promises. May your trust in God grow as you courageously persevere day after day in the sacred calling of mothering and dedicating your children to God.
