God meets you in silence with His perfect understanding

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Romans 8:26 (NIV)

Figuring out what and how to pray is sometimes challenging. Even as someone who has been in church her whole life and feels a close connection to God, I still struggle with having the right words.

Because the truth is, life is difficult. There are situations I face that I don’t even know what to ask God to do. I’m rendered basically speechless.

That’s where the Holy Spirit steps in. How perfect is God in knowing our needs and meeting them before we even realize the issue is there?!

For those times when you don’t even know what to pray, rest assured the Holy Spirit is bringing requests to God on your behalf. God doesn’t forget you when you are at a loss for words. In fact, I think that’s often when he steps in the best.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for taking care of my needs even before I know I have them. I ask for your guidance and wisdom in all I have going on in my life. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Why God’s friendship means everything in the loneliness of motherhood

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Something that surprised me about motherhood was how lonely it can be. I’m a natural introvert who thrives on alone time. As a mom, getting alone time in the early years can be downright difficult or even impossible.

Yet, it can also be so lonely and draining. We spend every moment of the day giving ourselves away. Finding the time or energy to talk with someone else about how we’re doing can be a challenge. And that’s assuming we have someone with whom we can talk who understands us.

I have learned time and again – especially during a season of one loss after another – that God is dependable. He doesn’t leave me and is right there to listen to me.

Since becoming a mom, I appreciate the friendship of God more than ever. I am thankful He is there when I’m up with a sick child in the middle of the night or fretting about a challenge one of my kids is facing while I’m washing my hair.

We are able to find contentment, joy, peace and friendship with our Heavenly Father at all times.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for always being with me. I appreciate having you as a friend who is constant, dependable and true. When I’m feeling lonely and out of sorts, remind me of your goodness and presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Why you can trust God’s promises, even when life shifts

“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

Joshua 21:45

Have you ever made a promise you couldn’t keep? I have. It’s not that we’re lying or trying to be mean. Instead, life sometimes happens, and plans have to change. We can end up disappointing the people who love the most – our families.

However, I am thankful that God’s promises never fail. This verse talks about His promises never failing to Israel, but it is true for us as well. And, let’s just think about the Israelites for a moment.

They were God’s chosen people. They followed Him closely, except when they didn’t. They got distracted and sidetracked so many times. They doubted God. They made idols to worship. They let other people influence them.

In short, they were just like us. Yet, God remained faithful and true to the promises He made them just as He will for us. That’s the God we serve!

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for your faithfulness and the promises you make in my life. When I start to have doubts and get distracted, bring me back to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Rest in God’s presence and feel His love when you need it most

“The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”

Exodus 33:14

When my son was 4, we moved from the house he’d always lived in up until that point. Recently, he was sharing with us that he has only a few memories from living there.

One of those memories is a time he was upset and lying on his bedroom floor. He might have been crying. What he remembers most, though, is how I responded.

Instead of lecturing him or getting upset with him, I just laid down beside him in his preschool misery. Honestly, I don’t remember this specific moment, but I know I’ve had quite a few like it in motherhood.

Because, sometimes our children need most for us to just be with them in their misery so they know they aren’t alone. They can rest in our presence and know they are loved.

This is exactly what I picture with God. Sometimes I’m so beside myself that I fret and wail and flail. I want to lie on the floor and throw a fit.

And you know what He does? He lays there with me and puts His arms around me – even when I’m upset because of something I messed up on my own. He lets me just feel His love and support so I can rest and then get up and keep going.

Enjoy God’s rest today in whatever you’re facing. He will be there to hold you close and give rest to your weary heart.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for always being with me. Help me to feel your presence today and be able to truly rest in you. I get so weary and need your strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Trust in God’s promise of strength to transform exhaustion into hope

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)

Before I became a mom, I thought I knew what being tired meant. I’d been through graduate school taking classes and working. I’d dealt with chronic pain and various surgeries even.

But nothing is tired like mom tired, especially new mom tired. Even now that my kids are a bit older and in school, I look back at their early days and wonder how I made it. Besides lack of sleep, there are so many other parts of motherhood that just make us weary. It’s constant and takes challenges us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually

Motherhood is neither for the faint of heart nor the weak of disposition! I can think of no other time in my life I have needed and relied on the strength of God more to increase my power – energy! – than since I’ve been a mom.

Sometimes we forget that God understands where we’re coming from. He knows our exhaustion and weariness. In the midst of it all, He is right there with us through it. When that baby gives you a smile that keeps your going or when that teen stops for a quick hug on their way out the door that refreshes you, God is right there in the middle of it.

Ask Him for His strength in your weariness today and be on the lookout for how He’ll provide it for you, because He surely will!

Prayer:

Dear God, today I am weary. I’m tired and out of energy. Give me your strength for all that I face today. I claim your promises that you give strength to us when we are weary and increase our power when we are weak. I need you today, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

An encouraging devotional for Christian moms caught in the fray of life

A short devotional for Christian moms to go from overwhelmed to peaceful

A short devotional of encouragement for Christian moms

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

I can be a bit of an overachiever. In school, getting good grades was important to me. I could tell you my GPA and class ranking pretty much every day of high school my senior year. I carried that attitude into college and beyond.

Now as a mom, the same attitude pops up. I’m not competing with other moms as much as I’m competing with myself to be the absolute best mom I can be for my children. I love them so completely that I want the best for them.

Yet, I fall short and mess up. I have times of weakness where I get frustrated or selfish. I don’t say or do the right things. Just like when I’d get a lower grade in school, I can be hard on myself for not getting it right.

Fortunately, God knows this. I’ve seen His power in my weakness time and again. Sometimes it’s in big ways and other times it’s in little ways.

For example, one evening when my children were preschool and toddler age, I was too overwhelmed and exhausted for dinner. I fed them Froot Loops — not even healthy cereal. I was beating myself up about it.

Then I noticed their faces. They were utterly thrilled and thought it was such a treat. They gave me grace. I needed to give myself grace. God blessed me that I was able to even feed them!

Sometimes in our weakness and struggles, we need to give ourselves some grace, turn it over to God and just hang on. He is there in the midst of all of it!

And He doesn’t expect us to be overachievers. He just wants us to be who He made us to be.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for knowing me so completely and giving me grace even when I mess up and fall short. Help me to give myself grace and lean into you. Give me your strength, power and encouragement when I feel so weak. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A short devotional for unappreciated Christian moms

“Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:24 (ESV)

Being a mom is hard and constant work. We are constantly on-call and have very limited time off ever.

In fact, if we wrote a realistic job description for a mom and offered the position to someone with a salary of $0, people would laugh in our faces.

And then add in that our children don’t often think to thank us or give us rewards, so to speak, for all the things we do, motherhood is a pretty thankless job most of the time.

However, in addition to serving our children, we are also serving God as mothers to the children with whom he’s blessed us.

While we may feel a bit downtrodden and wonder if the things we are doing really matter that much in the grand scheme of things, God says we’re doing exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.

We can trust that even if we don’t get rewards here on earth, one day we will in heaven. That’s an encouraging reminding to keep going and being the Christian mama He has created you to be!

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the promise of reward in heaven. Encourage me and strengthen me to keep going and trust you have a plan for all I do, even when it seems tedious and thankless. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A short devotional for Christian moms to manage doubts

“When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!”

Psalm 142:3

In the earlier days of motherhood, I’d have moments of being overwhelmed or even surprised by the fact that I was the one in charge. As a new mom, so many things are overwhelming.

I questioned every decision and worried I’d do the wrong thing. I imagined my daughter one day talking with a therapist about how all her problems started back when she was 4 months old, and her mom let her grab a pair of scissors from the floor.

Even now, my children are older as a tween and teen. I still question my decisions and worry I’m doing the wrong thing. Navigating parenthood is hard.

Through all of my struggles so far, though, God has been right there. I have lost track of how many times I’ve prayed in the midst of difficult conversations with my children and pled for His wisdom and words to come out of my mouth.

I don’t always know the way. In fact, I sometimes think I may even be turned completely around. But, thankfully, I do know and can trust in the One who not only knows the way by created it just for me.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for having a plan for my life. I ask that you continue you to guide me and show me the right way to go in all that I am doing and facing as a mom and in general. In Jesus’ name, Amen.