Words of Reassurance for Weary Parents with Young Kids
It may come as a surprise, but many millennials and even some Gen-Zers are now parents of young kids. Along with young kids comes a barrage of continual weariness. It’s not the fault of the kids though. Our society is the culprit. As a parent of young kids too, I’d like to share some words of reassurance to combat the societally-birthed weariness that currently runs rampant.Let’s hover over Philippians 4:6-7 for a minute. If we rush through this scriptural excerpt, we’ll miss a breath of much-needed fresh air.
Phil 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Phil 4:6-7 - Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (MSG)
Those two verses may be some of the most counter-cultural verses in the entire New Testament. In today’s world, we worry about everything—particularly about our young kids. And we definitely aren’t conditioning ourselves to pray as a substitution for worrying. In fact, we are told that if there is no worry then we’re bad parents. How ridiculous is that?!
Prayer of Reassurance
To obey and apply the scripture, I’d like to pray for all the parents of young children who have to live in today’s rough-n-tumble callous world.
Dear Heavenly Father,We come to you in earnest today to pray for all the parents of young kids out there. As society tells these parents they aren’t good enough, we want them to be reminded that they are image bearers of God. We want them to be reminded that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, and so are their precious children.
We ask that the enemy be squashed in his efforts to bring pain to parents of young children.
That the enemy be thwarted in his ambitions to drive a wedge between husband and wife as they do their best to raise their young children. We plead for the defeat of the enemy in his challenges against single mothers and single fathers who already have a difficult task ahead of them.
Humbly, we ask for money to flow to parents who are short on cash.
Tearfully, we request time be given to parents who are short on time. And to all parents, we ask for healthy mentors to come to fruition who can provide sound Christ-centered advice.
Most of all, we yearn for parents to get their greatest delight in you, father.
Not in the neighborhoods they live in, not in the cars they drive, not in their kids’ grades, not in their kids’ extracurricular activities, and certainly not in their kids’ popularity. For if parents get their greatest delight from you, everything else will fall into place.In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
I hope those words can serve as an example of what to do as society continues to attack. Remember: our prayers don’t have to be perfect; they just have to happen. Our father in heaven hears and answers even the clumsiest prayers.
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