Prayers for Parents: Liturgies for Home and Family

Macy Bassler
  • 5.0 (1)
  • CHRISTIANITY

Parenthood is holy work. It is also exhausting, overwhelming, and often isolating. Each episode offers thoughtful, short prayers that speak into the real rhythms of home life: the early mornings and late nights, the moments of joy and frustration, the seasons of uncertainty, growth, and surrender. It is for anyone who longs for spiritual grounding in the midst of the chaos—a pause, a breath, and a reminder that your work as a parent matters. Let these prayers hold you when you can't find the words to pray, and help you draw nearer to the Lord as you nurture the little souls he has given you.

Episodes

  1. FEB 4

    5: A Prayer for Cheerfulness

    A Prayer for Cheerfulness A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:1-4) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  (Ephesians 6:4) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:4-8) Lord,  Each of our children  Are a gracious gift  Directly from your hand Help us to see them For the miracles that they are And right now we admit  That the work of the upkeep of these blessings Can feel insurmountable at times We confess our tendency To get tangled in logistics And trade in cheerfulness in our duties For efficiency  And to allow our countenance  To give way to overwhelm We admit that we at times Put the tasks before the people We’re sorry for the way We get easily exasperated  When our children act like children Soften our hearts  So we may not pout and snap At our dearest little loves And thus hurt our witness For a frowny mother  Can’t convey God’s loving kindness  And a snappy father  Won’t reflect his compassion Teach us instead to pause in our upsets To pray To simply smile Because a grin goes a long way— Far further than a scowl— In winning hearts In times where we must discipline Let us not speak more than is wise Or heap on anger  That is not relative to the offense For you tell us that a smooth reply Turns away wrath And that harsh words Yield more chaos Strengthen our spirits To delight in our daily work The mundane lists Of laundry and meals and dishes Open our eyes to view the long days Of seemingly fruitless upkeep As the mess that comes after abundant blessing Tighten our tongues When we are tempted to lash at our littles  Whenever they reset our workload Or pester us with their why’s May we never view them as an inconvenience But rather remind us That they are the whole point Of the ministry of home  Let our lives lead them And serve as a testimony  Of your abounding love May we never grow numb  To the wonder of these little souls Though they try us  In their own fights against the flesh Let us be a gentle and forgiving force  That reflects your glory  In the twinkling little eyes  That watch our every move Give us joy in the plodding along Give us strength to count it all joy Help us now, O Lord To be cheerful in our duties

    5 min

  2. JAN 23

    4: A Prayer for When Siblings Fight

    Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,  but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. James 4:1-8 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Lord, You have made each of your children unique In your own perfect image  But we are stained with the curse of sin And our uniqueness often leads to arguments I see this in my own home  As my children fight each other  Over toys, over words, turns, opinions And everything in between As parents it breaks our hearts  And angers us deeply To see that this is so Right now we pray for wisdom  In judging fairly For knowing when to intervene And discerning when to simply let events unfold Help us be even tempered in all disciplining That in doing so we may not taint our witness  To the little eyes that watch our every move Lord, we ask for calm In our hearts, our minds Let all explosiveness dissolve Amongst our fighters  And within our own hearts too That our tongues may not inflict more pain But rather will bring healing and unity As is your intention for us As we learn to live and work with one another Let the weight of discouragement Make us stronger in our capacity  To not be overwhelmed  With the inevitable flares of sin in our little ones Let us not be offended by their humanity But rather strengthen us as we rise To the tall task of training them up  In the way they should go Let the testimony of my own temper— One that submits to you— Guide their walk in the fight against  Selfish desires and explosiveness I pray that we all may grow quicker to listen And slower to anger Keep us from grudge holding Against our kids for their kiddish behaviors As we instill in them the concepts  of forgiveness and repentance You know the stabbing pain  Of watching your children fight with each other How it grieves your heart To see the ones you love so fiercely  Act in such malice towards one another  Awaken my eyes to this When I get so frustrated  With the sibling squabbles  In my own home  Bring these emotions to mind  The next time I’m living in discord  With my neighbor  How it grieves you the same way I am afflicted when my own children quarrel We pray specifically for peace within our homes For humility in all parties To remember what you mean When you say to die to ourselves Let it be so for our children And for us as parents who govern The affairs of our people  Give us patience like what you extend to us  As we fight with our own brothers in Christ And forgive us for our hypocrisy Amen.

    6 min

  3. JAN 15

    3: A Prayer for Doing the Laundry

    Welcome to the Prayers for Parents podcast. Here you’ll find liturgies for home and family to help you connect with God in the midst of all of the beautiful chaos of raising kids. Take a breath as we meditate on a short passage of Scripture and close with a thoughtful prayer.  ⁠2 Peter 1:2-4⁠ May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁠1 Thessalonians 5:23⁠ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord,  In this daily rhythm Set my focus on you In this place where I often harbor dread And shy away from the monotony Help me view this job of laundry as a grace  A means of grounding me In the predictable rhythms of home Let it imbue in me a love  For my people who bear these clothes Over and over again Let the little socks  And their frustrating mismatches  Be a reminder of the bubbling life  That patters through these halls And makes their laughter echo  As they dance by  Bring to me an appreciation  When I sort the stacks of trousers  And stuff them into drawers That you, O Lord, cause my cup to overflow Blessing us with far more than we need Keep me grateful Let each soiled shirt As it passes through the wash  And returns white again  Remind me of how you make me new Not only once and for all But daily too Make every grass stained knee And the moments spent scrubbing Serve as pricks to the memory Of the rich life lived in these garments The mess a sign of the blessing  May the little pajamas  Perpetually inside out Be sweet reminders of the bedtime giggles  The cozy beds And the gift of rest at the end  Of a hard day’s work  And open my eyes To see that the dirty stacks of work Piled before me Are simply blessings being spent Signs of real people— The ones I’ve always dreamed of— In the flesh as they live life  While they simply be  The answers to my prayers  Thanks for joining us today. Subscribe to the show so you’ll never miss a new episode and share it with a friend who could use some encouragement. ‘ And may the Lord bless you     and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you     and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you     and give you peace.”’

    4 min

  4. JAN 8

    2: A Prayer for Decluttering the Soul

    Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord... Lord, Help me now in this moment In quieting my heart As I carve some white space in my soul For you to take the reins and guide me In discerning what things are necessary  And what are only man made expectations  Give me peace to let go of good things In order to create space for the best things Cast out of me my tendency to hoard   Both the material and the mental junk Which only leave me frayed and frazzled And render me useless for your kingdom The comparison and the soul-sucking scrolling The vanity in the things I only do   So that others may see Give me honesty to hold myself accountable To things you tell me to be true That I’ll never be enough  And don’t need to be Because you already are Remind me that I need saving even still today That I will always struggle But need not be discouraged in my efforts against sin Because you are already victorious And you are with me now In my Spirit-led fight against this flesh Cleanse me of my impatience with my family For my selfish entitlements And desire to not be inconvenienced And the shadow thoughts that flicker in my mind That I’m failing my kids because I’m not parenting them how I see someone else doing it Remind me you gave me these specific souls to steward And you gave them me And it was your intention that I remain Focused and clear minded on the main thing— Your glory above all else— That I may guide them to you Help me do it with a heart that’s ever repenting And ever purging, refining Casting off the vices  That grasp for space in my heart For this is sanctification  To honestly look at the soul And surrender it to you daily Thanks for joining us today on Prayers for Parents. Subscribe to the show so you’ll never miss a new episode and share it with a friend who could use some encouragement. ‘ And may the Lord bless you     and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you     and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you     and give you peace.”’

    5 min

  5. JAN 1

    1: A Prayer for the New Year

    Welcome to the Prayers for Parents podcast. Here you’ll find liturgies for home and family to help you connect with God in the midst of all of the beautiful chaos of raising kids. Take a breath as we meditate on a short passage of Scripture and close with a thoughtful prayer.  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  Revelation 21:1-5 Lord, As we look behind us  To all that has unfolded  Over the year The joys and sorrows Griefs and gains From new jobs to new lives  And all the little new beginnings and victories  Which have now become part  Of our family’s ordinary rhythms We thank you At this time we make it a point to marvel  At the work of your all-knowing hands How you have laced together our prayers Securing our hopes with the joy of your provision We take not for granted These new mercies and blessings  This season has brought our way And Lord, we also acknowledge  The heaviness we feel As we wrestle to reconcile The loss of some of these very blessings Whether the loss of a job Or the loss of a dear life And the smaller griefs of unmet expectations Of desires unfulfilled We ask you now to Hold us close in all our longings  Let us lean further into your presence In this now-and-not-yet world Where we see glimpses of your glory But also the stinging bite of sin Help us hold to the promise  Of all things being made new In the fullness of time As we go about our planning Remind us of the pattern of your personality— Faithfulness and love  For you have brought us this far And you will deliver us in due time Into the fullness of joy in your presence  As this Christmas season slips away Help us cling to Emmanuel Our greatest hope in the joys and the sorrows God with us From the deepest pit  To the highest mountain And also the steady plugging along Let the nearness of your Spirit  Be our peace and our delight As we reckon with both the year behind And the one in store As we forge our way ahead into the dark of the new year Be our light to lead us Ever deeper and nearer  To the light of your son  Who makes all things new Perfecting us as we trek  through this imperfect in-between And above any goal Let us seek to align our longings So that we may yearn for closeness with you Above all else Amen Thanks for joining us today. Subscribe to the show so you’ll never miss a new episode and share it with a friend who could use some encouragement. ‘ And may the Lord bless you     and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you     and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you     and give you peace.”’ Follow @biblejournalproject on Instagram for encouragement in your Scripture reading!

    5 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

Parenthood is holy work. It is also exhausting, overwhelming, and often isolating. Each episode offers thoughtful, short prayers that speak into the real rhythms of home life: the early mornings and late nights, the moments of joy and frustration, the seasons of uncertainty, growth, and surrender. It is for anyone who longs for spiritual grounding in the midst of the chaos—a pause, a breath, and a reminder that your work as a parent matters. Let these prayers hold you when you can't find the words to pray, and help you draw nearer to the Lord as you nurture the little souls he has given you.

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