I have this beautiful icon of the Theotokos and Christ Child on a wooden egg. I wish I could remember when I received it, but I know it's been a part of our family for at least fifteen years. My youngest daughter struggled with night terrors when she was young and I would give her this icon to hold while she slept. It helped calm her.
This past year, I took this very icon to the hospital when my oldest daughter was in labor and giving birth to her own daughter. I felt the power of the prayers of the Theotokos with us that day watching over my daughter as she brought her baby into this world.
This same icon helped me through some difficult spiritual battles in the middle of the night. That happens to be the time of the day I feel the most vulnerable and the attacks often will come very strong when I’m trying to sleep. I remember one particular week where I was waking up with a sense of terror, almost like I was dying, praying for help during these spiritual attacks and reaching to hold tightly this egg shaped icon of the Theotokos and Christ Child. I kept it close to my heart, held tightly by my hands, like the icon was a shield of protection. I felt our Mother, the Theotokos, praying for me and protecting me during these spiritual battles.
Icons are frequently called a window into Heaven or a doorway into the sacred. I love the thought of the doorway. I love the thought that our Holy Mother prays and watches over us while we sleep, fighting off the evil one and his demons. I love the thought that the Theotokos watches over our children in their difficult times of life and prays for them and speaks to them.
Our Holy Mother’s prayers and intercessions are so incredibly powerful. Not only did I feel she prayed for me to have a peaceful sleep, she stood guard so I wouldn’t continue to be tormented in my sleep. She is our Mother who prays and protects us as her Children.
There is a beautiful prayer to the Theotokos I cherish. It’s called Prayer VII in the Morning prayer section. After my encounter with the Theotokos icon, these words really pierced my heart.
It begins, “I sing of thy grace, O Sovereign Lady, and I pray thee to grace my mind.” Words like “Guard me by night and by day, and deliver me from foes that defeat me....Guide me to the path of repentance for I am tossed in the storm of life. Deliver me from eternal fire, and from evil worms and from Tartarus. Let me not be exposed to the rejoicing of demons, guilty as I am of many sins. Renew me, grown old from senseless sins, O most immaculate one. Present me untouched by torments, and pray for me to the Master of all.” This prayer continues with words so meaningful and deep. I encourage you to find it and pray it.
These words described what I felt at night and how the Holy Theotokos protected me and prayed for me. May our Holy Mother continue to pray for us and protect us. Through the prayers of our Holy Theotokos, save us.
Kristin King is a lifelong Orthodox Christian , wife to her church camp sweetheart, mom to three adult kids, and a new Yia Yia to her granddaughter. She continues to lean into the lessons the Lord is teaching her, usually about submitting to His will and trusting in His plan. Her desire to learn more about our Lord Jesus has been reignited in recent years. It has sparked her love of reading and learning about the faith. She loves connecting women in the Church and leading book studies that help deepen our faith as a community.
