The world is at its best at 3 am, for that’s when mothers everywhere awaken to pray.
Deep sleep is paused for rested minds, finally cleared of daily routines. The needs of others have been placed on our hearts and mothers begin to talk to God.
My doctor said waking in the middle of the night is common for women “my age.” She asked if I was hot, and I told her “no, I’ve been freezing cold since I was in the first grade.” She asked if I was having any other symptoms, and I said, “No, I just always wake up around 3am.” She asked the obvious question, “Do you drink a lot of water before bed?” “No, I’m too smart for that.”
But what I do when I’m awake, staring at the ceiling, is to join the throngs of mothers around the world — and pray.
It’s a prayer group that never meets in person, but somehow, I’m guessing there are many other members out there, linked by the common thread of pre-dawn whispers.
It’s a job that never ends.
It has nothing to do with the stage of life we’re in, but everything to do with our experienced hearts that have grown to see the beauty in praying for others. We talk to God about our children, and of course, our overworked husbands who are snoozing peacefully beside us without a care in the world. We pray for people we know who are in the middle of a health or personal crisis, our country, our leaders, and the entire world.
Some come on duty early around 1:30am while others take the late shift at 4:00. It’s God’s way of having the world covered in prayer 24 hours a day. Moms are busy with their regular work all day long, with occasional overtime assigned for sicknesses, school projects and vacations that relax everyone except for us. We move into the years of stressful college admissions and beyond into careers and grandchildren, yet through it all, we’re still called to action in the early twilight hours.
The morning arrives with chirping and sunbeams, yet all has been covered and no one was neglected because mothers around the world showed up for their shift on the overnight prayer chain.
The world never stops spinning, evil never stops roaming, so mothers never stop praying because . . . it’s 3 o’clock somewhere.
