7 Prayers to Be a Good Mother (Prayers for Hard Days)
Morning dawns with humidity hanging thick and heavy like a rain-soaked curtain. I’m tired after thunderstorms kept the youngest awake in the night, and I don’t want to face this day. These are the days when enjoying motherhood doesn’t come easily. These are the days when all my prayers to be a good mother seem like they might not come to fruition.
I arise from bed, and in the first moments of the day, nothing goes smoothly.
Children argue over who gets to pick the TV show, complain about my choice of cereal, and grumble about why the milk tastes funny.
I don’t dare tell them that we ran out, and I pulled the emergency rations of dehydrated milk from the tin in the cupboard. Lord, help us all.
It’s not just expression today. I mean it with all my heart: Lord, help us all.
Prayers to Be a Good Mother
As I gaze out the window, I pull out my journal and find my list of prayers. I need to connect with the heart of my heavenly Father if I’m going to make it through this day.
Several months ago, I asked God to lead me in writing a list of prayers for the hard days of motherhood. On one level, they were prayers to be a good mother. On a deeper level, they were prayers for God’s grace to fill in the gaps where I was lacking as a mom.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to pray these prayers as well.
Prayers to Be a Good Mother on the Tough Days
1. Pray for God to pour out his grace.
I wrestled with the title of this post because we all have different ideas about what it means to be a “good mom.”
Ultimately, we are good moms when we love our kids as well as we can. We use the skills we possess to teach and nurture them, and we trust God to fill in the gaps.
Here is a prayer for God’s grace to fill in the gaps: “Father God, thank you for being the perfect Father. As much as I want to be the perfect mother, I am far from perfect. I ask you to pour your grace upon our family. Make up for where I fall short. Guide me through your Holy Spirit so that I might train them up in the way they should go.”
2. Pray that your failures will help you teach your kids how much we all need Jesus.
We all fail as moms.
We lose our patience, speak words we regret, discipline in anger, and more.
When these times come, God gives us opportunities to humble ourselves, apologize to our kids, and teach them that we all need Jesus. A common phrase in our home is, “Mom needs Jesus too!”
Here is a prayer to pray in your moments of failure: “Lord God, thank you for never giving up on me. When I fail as a mom, please help me to cast down the voice of self-condemnation and, instead, teach my kids that Mom needs Jesus too. Help me to show them that apart from you, none of us can live righteous lives.”
3. Pray for a compassionate heart.
Our kids need our compassion. When we express compassion, they realize they are not alone with their emotions.
Here is a short prayer for compassion: “God, thank you for being the God of all compassion. I pray you will expand my capacity to feel and express compassion toward my kids. Help me attune to their emotions and show them that they are never alone.”
4. Pray that you will be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
James 1:19 offers this command about listening well, speaking thoughtfully, and avoiding angry outbursts.
If I could embody this single verse, I am certain our family would be transformed.
Here is a prayer to pray in alignment with this verse: “Dear God, thank you for the promise to give me everything I need to live a godly life. Please work in my heart to help me become quicker to listen, slower to speak, and slower to become angry. I know that I will better embody your love when I can live in this way.”
5. Pray for respect to rule in your home.
When family members respect one another, the family flourishes. This respect needs to be modeled by the adults in the home first.
Respecting our kids doesn’t mean we don’t discipline them. However, we do need to discipline them without shaming and condemning them.
Here is a prayer for respect: “Father God, thank you for my family. I pray that you will help us develop a culture of respect in our home. Help me show my kids that discipline is meant to teach them how to live blessed lives. Please help me discipline with respect and not shame. Guide me on this journey and work in our hearts.”
6. Pray for the love of Christ to unite your hearts.
When Christ is at the center of a family, the family thrives.
Here is a prayer for Christ to unite your hearts: “Lord Jesus, thank you for being present with our family. I pray that our hearts will be united in you as brothers and sisters in Christ first and family members second. Help us to love one another with your love.”
7. Pray that you will teach your children to love God with their whole hearts.
As parents, we are called to teach our children to love God. We need God to help us on this journey.
Here is a prayer: “Lord God, teaching my kids to follow and love you feels overwhelming. At times, I don’t know where to begin. Please help me as I raise them to follow after you and love you. Lead me to the resources I need so that I can help them grow.”
A Practical Application of These Prayers to Be a Good Mother
Sitting beside the open window after praying several of these prayers in the morning light, a familiar invitation washes over me with the cool breeze: Find just one moment to cherish.
I immediately remember the summer our third child was born. God spoke this same word, cherish, to my heart.
He led me on a journey of learning to find moments to cherish.
I learned to cherish everyday mornings with toys strewn across the floors, cartoons on the TV, and poplar leaves dancing out the window.
I claimed the word cherish as my assignment for the season (not an empty sink, a clean floor, folded laundry, perfect meals, or clutter-free corners).
Today, I’m reminded that this is still my great assignment. I don’t have to be the perfect mother or love every moment of this day. But I can find moments to cherish. I will be a better mom when I learn to cherish the good moments.
When being a mom is hard, find a single moment to cherish.
Weary mom, you don’t have to cherish every moment of this day either. I gently invite you to look for just one moment. I invite you to turn from the chores and look into the shining eyes of your child. Perhaps you might smile about the mealtime chaos and remember that this season feels unending, but it won’t last forever.
Every moment today won’t be easy, but there will be beautiful moments woven into the tapestry of this day.
Watch for the beautiful moments.
Maybe life would stay a little slower, a little fuller, if we all lived with this mindset of watching for beauty. . .
If we paused to watch leaves dance in the wind.
Pulled off of the road to watch sunsets.
Put down the phone to watch children play.
Put off laundry to push little bodies on swings in the backyard.
Slowed down amid even the hard parts of our days to give thanks for another day to live and breathe and encounter God.
As we press on through these years with children in our homes, may this be our mantra: This season will not last as long as it seems; find a moment to cherish today.
This season will not last as long as it seems; find a moment to cherish today. #cherish #savor Share on XMeanwhile, don’t beat yourself up because you’re not enjoying motherhood in every moment.
Just find one moment.
Cherish the moment in the yard with the sprinklers. Savor the trip to the ice cream shop and the hilarity of the mess. Cherish the afternoon spent splashing in puddles or the way the little one snuggles the dog.
You might just discover that this mindset helps you move closer to becoming the mom you have been praying to be.
My hope is that these prayers to be a good mother have blessed and encouraged you. Meanwhile, remember that God is not asking you to be perfect. Be the best mom you can be today and trust that God will make up for your shortcomings.
A Free Devotional for When Being a Mom Is Hard
If these prayers to be a good mother blessed you, I have a gift for you today. The Weary Woman’s 20-Day Devotional is my free online devotional to help you connect with God in your worn and weary seasons. You will find 20 daily readings to help you find refreshment in God’s presence. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today!
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Calling all moms and daughters!
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