Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3 (NLT) – Read the Full Chapter
PRAYING THROUGH AN OVERWHELMED HEART? Parenting is sometimes hard. You get up each day with the desire to finish a bunch of tasks and hope that at least one can be accomplished by the end of the day. Sometimes, you can’t and go to bed feeling like you’ve lost not only a battle but, ultimately, the war.
I know how you feel. This isn’t what you thought you were signing up for, and there are days you want to give up before it starts. I had a mom share with me recently how frustrated she was and how she used to have a prayer life, but because her kids were often all talking at her, she couldn’t even pray.
You have moments in each day that you long to be in the presence of the Lord but don’t know how to make it happen. You remember those times when it was just the two of you, and you long for a simpler time. In respect, He wants that too, and yet He knows what you are going through in your daily life. He is aware of all the things you face and have no control over. He wants you to give those things to Him.
The Bible reminds us that Children are a gift from the Lord, but sometimes we aren’t sure about this truth from scripture. In our hearts, we know it’s true, but our minds fight to hang on to this truth. We feel guilty, and yet all the feelings are there.
Frustrated and Exhausted
When my children were young, I struggled to find my footing and my faith. Instinctively, I knew it was there, but I couldn’t seem to locate it until late at night, maybe if I was lucky. Some nights, I went to sleep frustrated, joyless, and exhausted. I wanted to have joy as a mom if only a little, but I struggled to find any for a long time, even though I loved my husband, children, and life.
It was during this time in my life that God led me to pray out loud while driving. Each day, while my oldest was in junior high school, I would load my two youngest in the car to pick her up. Inevitably, my son, who is my middle child, would pester his little sister in her car seat. He was relentless. It was out of sheer frustration that I would pray. It was praying through an overwhelmed heart that God would hear my cries for help. The more I was frustrated, the more He shaped my prayer life in new ways.
Short prayers: It’s okay to pray in one-sentence or one-word increments throughout the day.
Pray during daily activities at home, such as bath time, washing the dishes, and folding laundry.
Pray while driving the car.
Praying out loud. Each conversation you have with Jesus out loud will inevitably teach your kids how to pray.
The Goodness of God
It was out of His goodness that He did His work in ways I would have never seen. While I was driving, God would allow me to see people and situations that needed to be prayed over. I would pray out loud for car crashes, ambulances passing by, homeless people on the street corner, etc. Any person or situation that God gave me eyes to see would receive prayer. God would take my focus off of the chaos in the car and redirect my thoughts to pray over a need. As I prayed out loud, it would refocus the kids and teach them how to pray as I modeled it.
From my own experiences, I know this: God is with you, watching and listening to you. You might need to tell yourself this now and again, but please believe it for yourself—at least for your own sanity, if for nothing else. Just know that He wants you to find joy in the small, bite-sized, sweet moments of the day. You might have to intentionally search for it. Here are some ideas that I hope you will find helpful.
These are just a few ways we can connect with God.
Dear friend, these steps on your journey may be difficult right now, but you have so many more steps to take in the future. Seek God and ask Him to open your eyes and heart to see each day as an adventure. I have seen God’s goodness and felt the warmth of His presence.
Jesus, thank you for helping me get through each day. Even with all the barriers that have been in my way, I want to be thankful for the hardships I face. Show me how. Allow me to see Your goodness in my life because I know You are a good, good Father. Help my family to see it in me. In Your name, Jesus.
Connection
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Additional Encouragement
6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) – Read the Full Chapter
One-Sentence Prayers
Lord, please teach my kids to pray.
Jesus, Lift me up; I feel like I am drowning.
Lord, show me how to parent my child.
I praise Your goodness, Father, even in the clutter and chaos.
God, thank you for my family; they are a blessing!
I am Praying Through An Overwhelmed Heart, Jesus; please help me.
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