Every Mother Every Father

The Porter's Gate and Audrey Assad recorded “Every Mother, Every Father” as a short blessing for parents. The song is only a few lines long, and each one is a wish spoken over people who are raising children. It begins by naming the people it is for: “Every mother, every father, called to raise up sons or daughters.”

The blessing asks for three things. First, patience: “May your heart be patient.” Second, clarity: “May your mind be clear,” a line that is repeated at the end so it stays with the listener. Third, God's nearness: “May our God be with you and calm your fears.” The wording is plain and does not offer parenting advice, and the choice to say “called” treats raising a family as a vocation that God gives. Because the song is brief and repetitive, it can be sung or spoken in a service as a prayer over parents, or used at a baby dedication. It reads like a benediction, and that is how it works best, as words for tired mothers and fathers to hear when they need to be reminded that they do not raise their children alone.

Children as a gift from the Lord are in Psalm 127:3. Raising them in the Lord's instruction is Ephesians 6:4, and the peace that guards the heart is Philippians 4:6-7.