7 Replenishing Bible Verses for Tired Parents
Ribbons of sunlight dance through the treetops and a dozen shades of green mingle with the dawn. I gaze out the window with a newborn in my arms. He sleeps soundly for the first time in hours, and I open my Bible in search of encouraging Bible verses for tired parents.
7 Bible Verses for Tired Parents
Our third child burst into our lives this week, and it feels like we just stepped from one season to another.
The change of trajectory has been stark, to say the least. We have leaped into new routines with a new normal that is full and blessed.
Nevertheless, we are tired. As I sit in the morning light, I soak in the following Truths. I invite you to let these words wash over you today, too. God sees you. He has not taken his eye off of you. He will carry you through these long, weary days.
Take some time to soak in these Scriptures. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook for tired moms.
Bible Verses for Tired Parents
1. 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.
Jesus is inviting you to draw near to him.
Tell him how you feel. Ask him to fill you with strength as you press into his presence.
2. 1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
We are told to heave our worries and anxieties onto God. Parenthood can be tiring due to the sleep deprivation and physical needs of our children. However, the added stress of trying to keep a tiny human being alive can feel overwhelming as well.
Ask God to help you trust him with your child. He cares for your child more than you can fathom. All the days of your child’s life are already written in God’s book. Rest in this.
3. Psalm 62:1
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
God is your deliverer. Just as he has delivered you in the past, he will carry you through this time of adjustment. Turn to him. Ask him for strength. He will provide all you need for the journey of parenthood.
4. Nehemiah 8:10
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
After the birth of our third child, I felt entirely overwhelmed and exhausted. I asked God to fill me with joy. He led me to begin each morning by declaring, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it” (from Psalm 118:24) before I climbed out of bed.
This practice gave me strength as I leaned into God’s joy each morning. The joy of the Lord truly is our source of strength.
5. Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Do you feel like you’re waiting on God?
Keep your eyes on him. He will give you the strength to endure this challenging season.
6. Jeremiah 31:25
For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.
Claim this promise when you feel depleted. God wants to replenish you.
7. Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God is using the challenges of parenthood to help you become more mature and complete. He will use this difficult season for your good and his glory. You will emerge looking more like Jesus if you keep pressing on with your eyes fixed on the Lord.
One More Bible Verse for Tired Parents
As I sat in the morning light and reflected on these Truths, another phrase suddenly came to mind. Like a song I memorized a lifetime ago, the words echoed in my mind: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
The familiarity of the words threatened to numb my heart to their fresh inspiration for a new day. However, the impression on my heart was as vibrant as the cool June breeze: Pause long enough to cherish this.
I thought of all the missed moments of sheer joy in my life, times when I might have embraced sweet memories if I’d paused from my productivity long enough to cherish the moments:
Everyday mornings with toys strewn, little voices filled with laughter, cartoons on the TV, and oak leaves dancing out the window.
Afternoons along lake shores with little feet splashing through waves.
Evenings along creek banks watching flies rise off the black water.
Holding newborns in the dark of the night and snuggling toddlers beneath cool sheets on summer evenings.
The One Word for Your Stretched Thin Life
And this word, cherish, seemed to be the assignment for the season. Not an empty sink, a clean floor, folded laundry, perfect meals, or clutter-free corners.
Today is the day to cherish the moments I claim to prioritize.
Today is the day to cherish these children and these dancing leaves. It’s a day to cherish warm food on a cluttered table, walks through fields of tall grass, the way the older two kiss their new brother’s fuzzy head every time they walk past him . . .
How to Cherish the Moments
Maybe life would stay a little slower, a little fuller, if we all lived with this mindset of cherishing the moments.
If we paused to watch leaves dance.
Pulled off the road to watch sunsets.
Put down the phone to watch children play.
Put off laundry to push little bodies on the swings in the backyard.
And slowed in the midst of even the hard parts of our days to simply give thanks for another day to live and breathe and encounter God.
Maybe this is how we really encounter God in the ordinary: We pause long enough and often enough to notice that he is present in everything. He is present in the peaks and the valleys. He is present in the joyful celebrations and the long seasons of suffering.
Maybe this is how we really encounter God in the ordinary: We pause long enough and often enough to notice that he is present in everything. #stretchedthin #slowingdown #livingpresent #encounteringGod Share on XOur lives shift and change like these dancing leaves, but he is unchanging. Always faithful. Always loving. He is always good. Always calling us to open our blurry eyes to what he has made, to rejoice and be glad in the process.
As we step into the new routines of summer with kids stretching long on our couches, asking to use our devices, and sometimes pushing our limits, may this be our mantra: This season will not last as long as it seems; cherish these moments while they last. They will one day be the sweetest kind of memories.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
