Motherhood is a beautiful disaster! Many days I feel I move from total exasperation to joyful exuberance several times an hour. Each season of being a Mom comes with different challenges and through it all we desperately need the help of God’s spirit to love our people well.
Trusting God with the precious ones he has gifted us with is not always easy. We have to keep going back to Him in prayer… sharing with him our hearts of thankfulness, frustrations, sadness, and more! He is big enough to handle all of our many emotions.
Here are a few verses, thoughts, and prayers to help encourage you as a mother. The work you are doing is good work with Eternal value. Don’t forget that you are not in this alone. God is at your side and wants to help you through every season.
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1. A Reminder That God Listens to Our Prayers
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil. 1 Peter 3:12
Life has hard seasons, but remember that no matter what we face, God is always faithful and available. He watches over the righteous and extends to us an open ear. He is willing to hear our cries and always faithful to comfort us in our moment of need! When life’s surprises come; stand firm on the promises of God.
When our children are young they depend on us to meet all of their needs. As they begin to develop into more independent individuals we see more and more how much our children’s lives depend not on us but on the Lord.
Trusting God with our beloved children stretches our faith! The most helpful tool God offers us as we walk through the challenges of motherhood is prayer. We can rest in the knowledge that He is also watching over them; especially when you can’t physically be near them.
May the promise that God hears your prayers give you the peace you need to trust God with the precious lives he has given you to care for. God is faithful and hears your prayers.
A Prayer for Protection and Peace
Jesus, help me to seek you first when I face uncertainty or am struggling with how to approach a situation with my children. May the knowledge that you hear my prayers inspire peace in my heart. As my children grow, help me to let go and turn to you more as their protector, leader, and God. Thank you for hearing my prayers and watching over us. Amen.
2. A Reminder God Will Show Us His Goodness
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
One of the biggest desires of a Momma’s heart is for our children to get the chance to experience the goodness of the Lord in their lifetime. What comfort it brings to our hearts to know that God also desires that our children see God’s goodness in the here and now.
Shared experiences, simple joys, the thrill of a moment of success, beholding beauty, and tender affection are all sweet things in this life that are a part of God’s heart for our homes!
God is not the author of confusion, death, sickness, disaster, or chaos. These are all things that are the work of the enemy of our souls. You and God are on the same side as far as what you desire for your home.
He promises and works out each scenario so you will taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8). You can rest in the knowledge that the Creator of our world is cheering you and your kids on and through the power of the Holy Spirit guiding you towards His best for your lives.
A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Goodness
God, I thank you that we can be confident that you desire goodness to be a part of our daily lives. We pray against any chaos that wants to steal from our homes and declare that our families will experience your love in tangible ways through every season of life. Amen.
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3. A Reminder That We Are His Children
For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28
Sometimes the weight of mothering can leave us feeling lonely. The frustrating moments can feel like more than we have the ability to handle.
For example, when your toddler won’t stop biting their friends, even after you’ve tried every technique you uncovered from a frantic Google search. It could be that you have a teenager that you can’t connect with, despite every effort to slow down and get on their level. Maybe you and your spouse can’t get on the same page when it comes to a parenting style and each new parenting challenge then also becomes a marital challenge too. These frustrations, while they won’t last forever, can quickly become exhausting and demoralizing.
When we begin to feel tapped out, God tenderly reminds us that we don’t need to do this on our own because we are His children and he gives us the strength we need to love our families well.
God our Father, our safe place, refuge, Comforter, wisdom giver, and rest when we hit those moments where we just can’t anymore.
He gives us life and as the author of our life is an ever-present refuge for us when adulting gets tough. So when life starts to feel like more than you know how to manage, take a moment to hide away with your Aba Father. Let His embrace restore your soul.
A Prayer of Encouragement
God, no matter how grown up I get, help me to never forget that I am still your child! I thank you that your loving arms are always available to me. May my identity as a child of God be what influences my actions as a Mother more than anything else. Amen.
4. A Reminder Not to Be Afraid
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Fear can be an overwhelming force in Motherhood. Our Mamma Bear instincts push us to look for danger at every corner. We are determined to protect our people.
Of course, much of this helps us to be diligent and loving parents, but when fear starts to overpower all our senses we lose the ability to rest. Scared people are tired and tired people get dismayed.
When we begin to be dismayed God wants to remind us that he says: I AM HERE FOR YOU. I will help you. I will strengthen you. I uphold you. You don’t have to be afraid because I am your God. Funny enough it can seem like we are always searching for a different answer than God.
Let’s stop running to the wrong things when fear tries to leave us tied up in knots. Let’s meditate on scriptures like Isaiah 41:10 so we can remember that God promises to be with us when life is terrifying. He says it over and over again because He knows that fighting fear is a part of being human. He is not upset that you are afraid rather He understands and is there to give you supernatural strength to reclaim your peace.
A Prayer Against Fear and Anxious Thoughts
God, help me remember that YOU ARE WITH ME and I DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID. You give me the supernatural strength I need to reclaim my peace even in the midst of life’s greatest storms. Thank you for your promises. Amen.
God’s Word is the rock that we can build our homes on. All other strategies, while they may be helpful tools, are not enough on their own! We need the help of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength we need to love our families well. Meditate on Scripture, pray them over your children, and pay attention when God answers those prayers. Let your work as a Mom be a testimony of your faith to your children and to your community.
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Originally published Thursday, 06 May 2021.
