Your Monday Moment

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A Prayer for Cultivating Adult Friendships 

Father God,

Raising children can be a lonely job,

and I often find myself at the end of a long day

wishing I had more friends to lean on.

You created us to need each other, Lord,

yet here in America, we have worshiped 

individualism, ignoring our ingrained longing 

for connection. 

Forgive us, Father, 

for our foolish self-reliance. 

Help us find our way back to 

each other. 

Friends keep us grounded, 

make our marriages stronger, 

and give our kids support 

beyond what we alone can offer them. 

I know I am a better parent

when I have others to journey with. 

Even still, I confess to spending more time

cultivating my child's friendships 

than my own, neglecting the very

people you have put in my life. 

So Lord, in your wisdom and strength, 

would you help me deepen

the relationships I already have, 

reconnect with old friends,

and recognize opportunities

to make new ones? 

Help me be vulnerable in reaching out,

consistent in following through, 

and dependable for others to lean on.    

May I recognize the season I am in,

with healthy expectations for myself and others:

supporting my friends in love,

and asking for help when I need it. 

Forgive us, Father, 

for our foolish self-reliance. 

Help us find our way back to 

each other. 

May our dependence be a sign,

not of weakness, but of strength,

as all of us are better together 

than alone. 

Thank you, Lord, for the gift

of friendship. 

Amen. 

written by Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A Prayer for Embodied Love in an Automated World 

Father God,

Our modern world can be overwhelming,

and we come to you today in need of 

your grounding presence. 

Our children are growing up with 

information overload, automated everything,

artificial intelligence threatening to dilute their

tender curiosity and imagination. 

As parents, it is hard to find the balance 

between protecting them from the chaos surrounding us,

and preparing them to one day live on their own. 

We don’t want to hide from culture,

nor embrace the latest advancement 

without discernment,

so we are here again, 

asking for your wisdom. 

We are not gods. 

We do not have the answers.

But you—our Creator and Sustainer—do. 

You created all of us to be an image of your heart,

your love, your grace. 

We remember this best through 

the person of Jesus: God made man, 

the story of redemption through flesh and blood:

embodied love. 

The smartest technology in the world 

will never have the capacity to love 

and be loved the way your image-bearers do.

Help us remember this when we are 

lured by the ease of machines. 

May we remember the simple comfort of 

a back scratch before bed,

a hug after a long day,

a hand to hold in a crowd. 

This irreplaceable human touch is itself 

an act of hope—

an incarnation of Christ's love, 

a resistance against the temptation to disconnect, 

and a healing balm for our weary souls. 

May we truly be present for our children, 

showing them that love is not just an abstract idea,

but the very essence of life, 

and a taste of your eternal kingdom to come. 

Amen. 

written by Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A Prayer for When Your Teenager Doesn’t Talk to You 

Merciful God,

You know the details of my teenager’s day. 

You know who she ate lunch with and what jokes were told. 

You know what classes are hard,

and what teachers she likes and doesn’t like.

You know “the tea”, the cliques, 

who likes who, and who is a good friend. 

You know what was seen on the internet, 

what was sent in texts and shared in messages.

Help her to know that you see her, 

that you care about every moment, 

and that you are with her. 

Make me a trustworthy place for her 

to come when she has questions or problems, 

and help her to know I care and can be trusted 

with the vulnerable and fragile places in her heart.

Give me wisdom to know when to intervene 

and when to let her figure things out on her own. 

Help me learn what love looks like in this season 

so I can lean in and listen well.

Please grow my trust in your care for her 

when I am tempted to be controlling or overbearing. 

Give me humility to seek and hear feedback 

from her about how she experiences me. 

Help me confess my failures, seek restoration,

and repair when I have acted hurtfully.

Strengthen and protect our relationship 

so that in the years to come we can share joys and sorrows 

and walk together as a family that cares and supports 

one another appropriately for each season of life we will encounter.

Thank you that you haven’t left us on our own 

to figure out this complicated thing that is parenting, 

but you go before us as we trust 

in your wisdom and faithful guidance.

Amen.

written by Loraena Tuttle 

produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A Prayer for Parents of Strong-willed Kids

Good Father, 

You have created our kids to be uniquely themselves, 

set them in this time and this place and in this family, 

and entrusted us to be their parents. 

Would you equip us with the patience, 

self-control, and grace we need

to love them well? 

Holy Spirit, would you breath through the conflicts, 

the frustrations, the moments of overwhelm 

when we don’t know what the next right move is. 

Give us your vision to see our children the way you do: 

help us see their stubbornness 

as the gift it will be in adulthood:

persistence, determination, 

and resolve to stand for what they believe in.

Help us see their independence 

as the confidence they will need

to navigate a world clouded with uncertainty. 

Help us see their intensity

as fuel for the passion 

they will need to be 

salt and light in a dark world. 

Forgive us, Father, when we fall short,

and strengthen us with your perspective,

your wisdom, your peace that 

transcends our understanding. 

In all things we give you thanks and praise,

Amen. 
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written by Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A prayer for children living with anxiety 

Father God,

You created this child I love so much,

you knit them in the womb, 

you know the hairs on their head,

the dreams in their heart,

and the fears and thoughts in their mind.

Anxiety is a part of life,

but my child is struggling beyond what is typical, 

and we don’t know how to help. 

I want to make everything easier for them,

yet some days I feel like everything I try

only makes it worse. 

There are days I blame myself,

days I blame the world,

days I blame you. 

I know this is no one’s fault,

and an explanation would not 

make it easier to navigate. 

So I am not here asking for answers,

but I am asking for wisdom. 

James 1:5 says this:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, 

who gives generously to all without finding fault, 

and it will be given to you.

I am asking for your wisdom

to inform my choices and actions—

the way I respond and encourage them,

the words I use, or don’t. 

I am asking for your wisdom

to know when, where, and how 

to seek professional help.

I ask for trustworthy guides and

compassionate care for my child. 

Please Lord, cover them with your love and peace,

speak to them in the quiet corners of their mind, 

whisper your truth louder than the noise of the world,

clearer than the confusion and fear. 

I trust you with their life, with their heart,

with their soul. Pursue them, Lord—

let your compassion be evident to them,

your grace-filled arms what they sense 

holding them in their most anxious moments. 

Above all, I ask for this cloud 

to be taken away from them,

but even if it is not, 

I trust you. 

Thank you for the ways 

you are shaping our hearts

even now through this struggle. 

Amen. 

By Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A prayer for not rushing through bedtime 

Lord of true rest,

Father of endless patience,

Spirit of perfect peace,

I ask for your strength to flow 

through my fatigue.

Here at the end of a long day,

all I want to do is collapse on a couch 

and have a minute to myself,

yet my child is yearning for connection,

reaching for my love in these 

tender moments before bed. 

So before I even dim the lights 

and open Goodnight Moon,

would you soften my heart with 

your eternal perspective? 

I don’t want to miss these moments.

I don’t want to rush through 

what I know I will reminisce about when 

they are older: 

Their soft hair under my chin,

their full weight against my side,

innocent joy in hearing a favorite story,

and their sweet, melodic voice

joining in a bedtime prayer. 

I am full of gratitude, Father, 

for each opportunity I have

to hug this child goodnight—

I only wish I had more margin 

to fully appreciate it. 

Desiring rest is not selfish, 

and I know you want that for me as well,

so help me give thanks in all circumstances,

knowing that if rest does not come 

in the way I imagine it,

It will come through your power

and in your time. 

This desire is pointing me toward 

a longing for your eternal rest,

and a day when we won’t feel fatigue 

or stress, pain or fear—

when the yearnings in my child,

and the yearnings in me, 

are all met in your new creation. 

For now…

we say good morning,

we say goodnight, 

we say thank you for these 

tender days. 

Amen. 

By Alli Dahlgren
produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

For When They Don't Make The Team

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

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For Transition Weeks.

Steadfast God,

This week, as our family takes some time to 

settle into a new seasonal rhythm  

I open my hands and ask for your grace. 

We need your grace to prevail 

over stress and fatigue, over the 

jolt of shifting from one season to another. 

There is so much I can’t control as a parent,

so much I can’t anticipate or plan for,

and just as I tell my kids: the only thing

I can control is how I respond. 

Yet, in times of change I often become 

a child myself, complaining and grumbling 

and setting a terrible example for my kids. 

Forgive me, Lord. 

Help me love my family well this week,

holding routines and expectations loosely 

as I adjust to what this fall holds for us. 

Take a moment to pray for the specific cares and needs of your family. 

You, Father, are our anchor and our home,

our source of love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, and self-control. 

May we lean on you for all that our family needs. 

Amen. 

Written by Alli Dalhgren
produced by Dan Gummel
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Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

For When Your Vacation Was Not a Vacation

Lord God,

Thank you for the time away 

from our usual lives to do 

something different as a family. 

There was laughter, there was joy,

and many memories made. 

Yet, for the adults involved,

there was little to no relaxation,

and we are returning home 

more tired than when we left! 

So, Lord, before we sort the laundry 

and put our souvenirs on a shelf,

I want to pause and reflect 

on the togetherness we shared,

the bonds we deepened,

the beautiful moments, 

the crazy moments—

the silliness and sacredness 

of vacations with children. 

(pause here and take a moment to reflect)

Spirit of God, I need you, as I head

back into a typical week,

a bit bedraggled and worn. 

On my own, I grumble

but in you I find patience. 

On my own, I am reactive

but in you I find wisdom.

On my own, I am weak

but in you I am strong. 

Thank you, Father, for this kind of 

fatigue, this kind of mess. 

I am tired because my life 

is full of people to love, 

and this is always a gift. 

Amen. 

Written by Alli Dalhgren. 
Produced by Dan Gummel

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com

YMM is a weekly prayer series for parents who need a moment. Sign up at gracebased.com/ymm to get these prayers in your inbox every Monday.

A Prayer for Teaching Them to Drive 

When I was a new parent,

the thought of my child behind the wheel 

was an abstract idea—

something I would deal with when the time came,

when the years were more behind me 

than ahead of me.

It seemed so far away. 

Now I am becoming another cliché—

wondering where the years went,

sweating these teenage milestones and 

wishing time would slow down. 

I need you, Lord, every hour I need you! 

I see her sitting in the driver's seat, 

and just like a sentimental commercial,

I suddenly remember her baby teeth smile,

her legs too short to dangle over the seat, 

let alone touch the pedals. 

I find myself whispering anxious prayers to you:

Father, keep her safe. 

Help her make wise choices.

Protect her, protect her, protect her. 

I need you, Lord, every hour I need you! 

I remember the days when my worries 

included electrical sockets, corners of coffee tables,

feeding her sugar too soon. 

Now my time of protecting her has changed,

and my job is to prepare her. 

To help her thrive in a world of unpredictable

circumstances and imperfect people. 

I ask, Father, for our driving sessions

to include more moments of bonding 

than moments of tension. 

I ask for your patience and wisdom to lead me

as I teach this child something that will

undoubtedly take her farther away from me. 

May my heart be open, may her heart be brave.

May we enter this next phase with grace for each other

and for all of our feelings and fears.

Thank you for this teenager. 

Thank you for her desire to spread her wings

and fly just like she was made to do. 

We need you, Lord, 

every hour, 

we need you.

Amen. 

Written by: Alli Dalghren
produced by: Dan Gummel 

Find us and more free resources at: 
www.gracebased.com