When we need encouragement as caregivers, God meets us in prayer and through His Word. Caring for another person makes our human limitations become glaringly obvious. Our shortcomings and feelings of helplessness continually drive us to the power of prayer. If you are caring for a loved one, whether a child or an elderly parent or patient, I pray that these prayers would meet you as you care for them, showing them a measure of Christ’s gentle love, patience and peace.
1. A Prayer for Patience
“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” -
God, we ask you for patience today. We know there is more to this holy virtue than we are able to understand. The painful practice of patience is far from easy, but its product is good. No matter the strife and humbling we have to endure as caretakers on this earth, we pray today that all we do leads those we care for to You. Help us be alert to pride when it threatens to steal our peace and godly confidence, knowing You have equipped and purposed us perfectly to achieve great things for Your Kingdom.
Though we can’t see the whole of Your plan for our lives, help us to patiently trust You, especially through painful seasons and hard-fought battles. Let our love reflect Yours, patience and steady.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
2. A Prayer to Open the Lines of Communication
“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.” - Jonah 2:1 NIV
God, You are ever present and everywhere. Always watching, all-knowing, and listening. Even from the belly of a fish, Jonah prayed and You were faithful to hear him. We confess that so many times we stubbornly want our children to obey us, to the point of long-winded arguments and lectures. Our hearts are convicted to pray through those conversations, and to choose our words carefully. In the heat of the hard conversations we have as caretakers, let us utter prayers to You, and be faithful to pause and head Your direction. You faithfully hear us, defend us, and come to our aid. Let the guard over our mouths be set by Your boundaries, and all we speak to our children be rooted in Your love. When we utter unfair words, convict an obedience in us to seek their forgiveness. Let the lines of communication be open and honest in our home.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
3. A Prayer to Forgive Those We Care For
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3:13 NIV
God, forgiveness does not come naturally to us. Especially as caregivers, we crave an easier path. But, Father, help us to foster a forward forgiveness in our families. Knowing we will all fall short and fail each other and You, help us to be quick to admit when we are wrong and apologize with sincerity and love. Our mistakes are a platform to grow closer to You, Father. Though it’s hard to admit when we’ve made them, help us to bring them to You in humility. We want to model this love to those you’ve given us to watch over. You assure us we are always forgiven, and never loved less. We pray for that loving grace to permeate our family.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Image Credit: ©GettyImages/Dragonimages
4. A Prayer to God, Our Healer, for Healing for Our Loved Ones
“…and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” - Luke 6:19 NIV
God,
You are our healer. The greatest reflection of Your love was Jesus coming down from heaven, not only to be present among us, but sacrifice His life for us on the cross. Through His gift of grace, we are able to be healed beyond what is possible on this earth. Sometimes, in the depths of what we don’t even realize is ailing, you reach in and make us whole again. We pray for healing in the depths of those we care for. May we find love and purpose far beyond this world, and bravely place our trust in You rather than cower in the all of things there are to be afraid of in this world. We pray for healing from ailments and sickness that we can see and feel now, and from the sin that is hidden in us. You know all, see all, and care for all in Your perfect love.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
5. A Prayer for Trust That God Will Provide
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” - 2 Corinthians 9:8
God, You are completely aware of what we need. Thank You for providing for us. We trust that in times of need You will uphold us, and in times of plenty show us how we can bless others in a season of lack. As caregivers, the future expense of providing care can be overwhelming. We pray for Your guidance in how we handle our finances, Father, and forgiveness for overspending and lack of preparation. May those who see us learn the importance of generosity by our example. You remind us not to be legalistic in our giving, but heartfelt. Search our hearts today, Father, and increase our trust in You to provide all that we need to live.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Image Credit: ©Getty-SHODOgraphy
6. A Hedge of Protection Prayer
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:3
God, we come to You with the fears of this world in prayer for Your protection. Each day holds unknown conclusions, and so we run to You, our all-knowing God. For the answers we do not have and the worry that threatens to consume our days, we ask Your provident hand of peace to stretch out over us. Remind us You are sovereign, that nothing happens out of Your control. For the tragedy we witness daily, and fear it will invade our own lives, provide an unexplainable calm and upholding of our faith. Help us to care well for those you have put us in charge of, Father, even in frightening times.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
7. A Prayer for God to Stretch Our Minutes
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” - Ecclesiastes 3:11
God, stretch our minutes, today. The daily grind begs us to overfill it. Protect us from being consumed by busyness, and slow our pace to prayerfully notice You in all transitions. Help us to pause, and teach our children to pause, in order to reflect gratefully on all we have to fill our days. We pray all we do brings honor and glory to You, and our children see You in the way we manage our time. When we’re tempted to be in an angry rush, slow our state. Only You know how many minutes we are allotted on this earth. We don’t want to waste any. Help us to teach our children to be good stewards of their time.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Image Credit: ©Unsplash
8. A Prayer for God’s Plan to Be Accomplished
“Yet not as I will, but as you will.” - Matthew 26:39 NIV
God, in the sweet words of Your Son, we commit our lives and those of our children’s lives into Your hands as He did. The hardest thing to remember as caregivers is often those we care for are not ours… but Yours. You know every hair on their heads. We do not! God, You are so good to us. Good to those we love. You are so full of love and care, purposefully creating each of us. May they know You and the depths of Your love for them, so they may fully live out Your Kingdom purpose in their lives. It’s hard not to make plans for them, Father! Remind us, and convict us, to submit our children’s lives to You daily.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
9. A Prayer to Store Up Treasure in Heaven.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” Matthew 6:19-20 NIV
God, You warn us not to store up treasures on this earth. Accomplishments and possessions catch our attention, and we like them! Father, as parents, we are proud of our children when they achieve their goals and we acknowledge them for it. But help us to reign all of those desires in and align them to the truth of Your Word, Father. Keep our souls healthy, and our faith grounded. For all of the accomplishments and possessions this earth can offer are minute compared to all heaven is. All You are. May we, as parents, always put more of an emphasis on faith and trust in You than the workings of this world. We pray our children will be heavenly focused, not earthly driven.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Image Credit: ©Getty/freedom007
10. A Prayer of Gratitude for When We Feel Invisible
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
God, Perhaps it is our inward desire for more of You that fuels are “never enough” tendencies. Will You realign them, daily? Help us to teach our children to give thanks in all circumstances by modeling it in our everyday lives. When it’s hard to be thankful, motivate in us by reminder of Your blessings. Because some days are extremely hard to adopt an attitude of thankfulness. Our children test us, try us, and experience the same pressing of the world and all its comparative desires even more so than we did as children. May we come to You daily in gratitude, to fight off greed and dissatisfaction. Help us to commit to a daily routine of thankfulness, Father.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Image Credit: ©Unsplash/rohit-guntur
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ. An author, freelance writer and blogger at Sunny&80, she earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University. Her first book, “Friends with Everyone,” is available on amazon.com. Meg leads/teaches Bible Study in Women’s and Youth Ministry. Living in Northern Ohio, she’s been wife to Jim for a decade and counting, is mom to two tween daughters, a distance runner, photographer, and avid Cleveland Browns fan.
Originally published Monday, 18 November 2019.
