photo cred. unsplash
If you’ve been on a long, uphill journey with your child and today is a hard day, you’ve probably run out of ideas of how to pray. I did. Often my best prayer was the simplest, “God, please help me!” I’ve prayed this way many times. Have you?
A Prayer for Hard Days
When I’m struggling to know how to pray, I prefer to use prayers others have written. I wrote this one for you:
Heavenly Father,
Today is a hard day. I can’t feel You. My child is ____________________. I see no signs You’re doing anything. None.
Are You ignoring my cries for help? I’m beginning to think my prayers are useless, empty words bouncing off the ceiling. My faith is faltering. Why should I bother? Please don’t let me give up. Throw me a life-preserver—better yet, a faith-preserver.
I want to believe You care; that You’re near, not far; close, not remote. You’ve always been the light in my darkness; the relief for my distress; the peace for my pain.
Fill me once again with a spirit of calmness in place of anxiety, divine rest for fear. I need supernatural serenity and tranquility now more than ever before. Mine is gone. I’m a mess.
My struggle is real. Relentless. Never-ending.
My inner chaos is out of control. Insanity reigns. A mental fog permeates my thoughts. Panic threatens to suffocate me. Sometimes, it’s difficult to breathe. I gasp for air—celestial air.
I need to know four things:
- You understand.
- Nothing is hidden from Your sight.
- You love my child even more than I do.
- You can still do the impossible. It’s not too late.
Believing these makes all the difference in the world for me. They radically change the landscape of my suffering.
photo cred. Stefano Pollio on unsplash
But when I hurt, I forget. I doubt. Could I be wrong in believing them?
O God, please restore my weakened confidence in Your love for me and my child. May my hope and faith be firm in who You are and what You’ve done in the past.
Bring me back to the certainty that You are always with me and my child; that our times are in Your hands – the easy ones as well as the hard ones.
No matter how I struggle, no matter what I see, especially on hard days like today—remind me of truth.
Keep my focus on You.
Thank you, Sovereign One.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Comfort from the Bible
The Bible comforts me when I read this:
He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might he increases strength (Isaiah 40:29).
Books on Prayer
These are a few books that have helped me pray when I didn’t know how anymore: (the first two are listed on our website)
The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian
Prayers for Prodigals: 90 Days of Prayer for Your Child by James Banks
Praying God’s Will for My Son and Praying God’s Will for My Daughter by Lee Roberts
(praying hands photo cred. unsplash.com)
**from the archives
Thank You God in helping me stumble upon this written prayer. It helped me in giving that much strength to have hope again. Honestly, God I’m tired and weary. You know what I’m going through with David as bd his addiction to crystal meth snd s as ll things just totally crazy. I feel I’m going crazy. God see in living in my parents home and my mother not so understanding of me and my son or anyone the agonizing pain of no t knowing what’s next for my son. He seems to just get worse. His mind seems to be going and my insanity too. My parents who are suppose to be my best friends seem to be my worst enemies. Lord God instead ray You reachvfown as Nd pluck my son David out of this vicious cycle of crystal meth snd set David free snd Aston too my other son who I thought was okay but has his own problems too. God give my parents insight into who You are again. I know they are Christians but I don’t feel the Christlike Loveland understanding. Search me oh God and strengthen he snd get rid of all that is not of You in Jesus name I pray for my son David Aaron, my other 3 daughters and parents in Jesus name Amen.Thank you , Tom snd Dena
Thank you for your comment, Belinda. I’m glad the prayer was helpful for giving you renewed hope. May God save your son David out of the cycle he’s caught in and set his feet on solid ground of recovery. Be Belinda’s refuge, the safe place she can always go when the situation is overwhelming her. Overwhelm her with a sense of your nearness and love. Amen.
In Christ, Dena.
I’m not , at all, connecting with our adopted daughter. We just had a major fist fight and i am so remorseful. I would die for her. I also have mental illness caused from meds. I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 😢🙏
I’m so sorry, Barbara. Praying the Lord helps you with the anger that is difficult to control. They sure know how to push our buttons, don’t they? I remember many times I had to step away and take a break until I could calm down myself. I hope she’ll forgive you and you can forgive yourself–God understands and forgives. He is full of patience and compassion. Blessings to you as you lean into your Savior for daily strength and wisdom.
I have an adult daughter who has turned away from GOD she thinks she is a man .. I do not know how to handle this this has been going on for years .. I pray daily for her and read my bible ..I get upset and angry my heart hurts and I cry I get upset and I take it out on others and on my daughter I don’t mean too ..I don’t know how to handle this I don’t know how to help her .. She did express she did not want my help
I tried to give her a hug today and she got very upset with me she is angry with me ..
Penny, if your daughter doesn’t want hugs, maybe let her initiate for now–or you could ask her first. Don’t push. You could unintentionally push her away. Pray for opportunities to tell her you love her; ask her to help you understand; don’t lecture or try to convince her she’s wrong. Tell her this is hard for you but you will be there for her no matter what. She’s still your child and you’re still her mom. A website with helpful information you might like is: http://www.postureshift.org They offer training and a booklet to help families of LGBTQ loved ones. https://www.postureshift.com/resources-2/
Prayerfully, Dena.
Thank you so much for your help .. GOD made my daughter to be a women not a man I love my daughter and that hasn’t changed
I’m so sorry for this painful situation with your daughter, Penny. That is definitely hard. A good Christian counselor would be able to help you to process your emotions and learn how to handle this. It’s normal that you feel all that you are plus a lot of sadness over the losses this brings. A support group would help you tremendously too. Just being with others who understand and are walking in your shoes is huge–you’re not alone! If you want more information, look on our website for our list of groups – some are online. I also know a mom who leads a faith-based group just for parents with children who are making the same choices as your daughter. I can connect you with her if you’d like. Let me know by sending me an email: hope@HopeforHurtingParents.com