Allow married couples who are parents to guide their children through the deeper meanings of the holiday season as a team, where you’re the coach calling the shots.
The holidays are a complicated time of year. There’s magic in the air—so much joy and hope. After all, who doesn’t love twinkle lights, big Christmas dinners, and family time? There are holiday movies and traditions and cozy socks with roaring fireplaces.
But it’s not all goodness and light. There’s also a lot of stress in making the magic happen. Parents, especially, feel the pressure to make the holiday fun for their children or visiting relatives. Ministries burn out attempting to ensure those in low-income situations have gifts for their families. Pastors grow weary from carrying the burdens of those who are brokenhearted in the holiday season. Couples argue over money and where to spend Thanksgiving Day versus Christmas Eve. Children grow irritable from sugar rushes and too much emphasis on “getting.” It’s no wonder we struggle with anxiety from all sides…and then feel guilty for doing so.
But you know what? It’s okay. Anxiety itself isn’t a sin—it’s a feeling. Yes, the Bible tells us not to worry and to cast our cares on him, but that’s not for our condemnation; it’s for our good.
Psalm 94:19 (NIV) "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."
The Lord wants us to come to Him with our worries, fears, and anxieties so he can replace our heavy burdens with his much lighter yoke.
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
To do so, we must saturate ourselves in prayer and the Word this Christmas. When you feel anxiety knocking, go to the Lord. Trust him with the cares in your heart, and let him remind you of the true meaning of the holiday.
Here are ten prayers for the Christian who feels anxious in this busy season:
1. A Prayer Over the Christmas Season
Dear Father, thank you for Christmas. Thank you for coming! When we’re feeling anxious, help us to remember Emmanuel—God with us. You came to save us, and that’s the real reason for the season. When we keep our focus on you and the beauty of advent, our anxieties fade. Help us to cast our cares upon you and give us an eternal perspective this holiday. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. A Prayer for Marriage
Dear Lord, the holidays can be hard on marriages. While there’s plenty of opportunity for bonding, there’s just as many opportunities to argue. I pray blessings over married couples this season and ask you to unite them in your love. Make their marriage a three-stranded cord that can’t fray or break under the pressure of the holiday. Help them to fight stress and obstacles together rather than fight each other. Allow married couples who are parents to guide their children through the deeper meanings of the holiday season as a team, where you’re the coach calling the shots. In Jesus’ name, amen.
3. A Prayer over Children
Heavenly Father, I pray a blessing over children this season. Help them focus on the real meaning of Christmas rather than only on getting gifts. Let them see the joy that’s found in giving. Let them build memories with their families that will last a lifetime and create traditions they can pass on to their kids one day. Help them not to pick up on the stress around them but keep their childlike faith in you. I pray against greed and the temptation for the “gimmies” in their lives. Increase their wonder and awe of you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
4. A Prayer over Relationships
Dear Jesus, relationships are often tricky. Not just romantic relationships but also familial relationships. Nothing brings out the best and the worst in people like the holiday season. I pray for families that are struggling to navigate difficult and strained relationships this year. Help them be united in you and bring peace to their homes. Where relationships are broken, I pray you mend them. I pray against strife, and I pray for unity in Christ. Heal what needs to be healed in our families, Lord. Help those seeking reconciliation or forgiveness not to carry that burden alone but trust it to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
5. A Prayer About Finances
Lord, I pray over each family’s budget this Christmas. Help them not to stress or try to keep up with the Jones’, but rather, help them to see what the holiday is all about. Give wisdom to each person navigating a holiday checklist and help them have exactly what they need. Give them eyes to see that celebrating the birth of Christ doesn’t have to mean a tree laden with presents. Help them not to put themselves in financial detriment this holiday but relax and focus on the reason for the season. Provide them with extra funds to help donate or share with those in need and bring them blessing and joy from doing so. In Jesus’ name, amen.
6. A Prayer for Time Management
Dear God, the holiday season can fly by so quickly. I pray a blessing over each family’s time management. I ask that you give them wisdom and discernment to navigate their time in the best, most efficient way possible, and help them as they make decisions about where to spend which day. Gently impress upon them to spend time each day with you as well so that their stress is lowered and their day flows more smoothly. Help them do everything they need to do and make good memories along the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.
7. A Prayer for the Heart
Heavenly Father, please guard our hearts this Christmas. The holiday season can be weary and exhausting, and we need more of you. Your Word says that from our hearts flow the wellspring of life, so let it be well inside us, Lord. Protect our emotions from burnout and stress. Help us to trust you with all that we are. Fill us with you, your peace, and your joy this advent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
8. A Prayer for the Mind
Lord, I ask that you protect our minds from stress and anxiety this holiday season. Still our churning thoughts that are full of endless to-do lists. Help us to break free from the worry of not getting it all done. Give us the mind of Christ and a peace that passes all understanding. Help us remember to turn to you when we feel anxious, and keep us from basking in condemnation. Free us from anxiety. In Jesus’ name, amen.
9. A Prayer for the Spirit
Dear Jesus, it’s easy during the holidays to stress over not being “spiritual enough.” Sometimes we try so hard to create moments of closeness with you that we end up overthinking and trying to force something that’s not of the Spirit. I ask that you connect with us this holiday in a genuine, Spirit-led way. I ask that you help us not to strive for control but to have an ease of spirit and soul that trusts you and connects with you, even in those moments where we don’t necessarily feel it. Help us remember that you came, and you are still here within us, even when Christmas feels far away. In Jesus’ name, amen.
10. A Prayer Against Perfection
Father God, I pray against perfection this Christmas. Jesus was the only one who was ever perfect. Nothing we are or do can ever come close, so I ask that you release us from that self-inflicted pressure this year. Just like the Grinch realized Christmas was coming, no matter what he did to try to stop it, I pray you help us remember that Christmas came and is coming again—even when we don’t have everything exactly the way we’d like. Help us to have a heart this holiday to worship you, even when things aren’t perfect. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty/andreonegin
