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.

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A Prayer for Catastrophizing.

Faithful God,

My mind constantly swirls with “what ifs,”

especially when it comes to my kids.

I imagine the worst.

I create narratives in my head

of unlikely scenarios,

as if by my anticipating worry,

I can stop the worst from happening.

But what if the worst never happens…

and I’ve wasted all this time and energy

being worried? 

Jesus, I think of your words:

“Can any one of you by worrying 

add a single hour to your life?”*

I know you speak truth, Lord, 

so I release my worries to you today—

from the small justifiable concerns,

to the extreme catastrophes 

I imagine in my mind—

I let them go.

(pause here to take a deep breath and if you’d like, 

imagine letting go of each specific worry as it comes to you.)

Father, who loves my kids more than I do,

who created them in the womb,

and numbers the hairs on their heads,

forgive me for my lack of trust. 

Remind me of your promise:

you will never leave us

and never forsake us. 

No matter what comes,

we are held in your hands. 

My kids are held in your hands. 

Continue to bring me back to this place, Lord,

where I release my worries to you

and hold on to your promises instead. 

Amen. 

Author: Alli R. Dahlgren

Family Connection Moment: During a bedtime goodnight, or a dinner table conversation, confess to your family that worry sometimes gets the better of you. Kids have worries too, and it helps to normalize this. Read them Jesus’ words from *Matthew 6:27 and see if that sparks thoughts, questions, or encouragements. 
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Find Us: 
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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A Prayer For When My Child Receives A Diagnosis.

Good Father,

I never expected to walk this road.
Hearing the word “diagnosis” feels heavy.
It changes things in ways I do not yet understand.

There are appointments to schedule,
new words to learn,
specialists to meet,
and a whole new world of information
I never thought I would need to know.

Sometimes it all feels like too much.
I feel scared and overwhelmed. 
The story I imagined for my child?
Suddenly, it all looks so different.

Help me remember that you are still the Author,
and you never lose the pen.
Write the next chapters of this story
with mercy and power,
completing in us what you have started.

Of course, we pray for miraculous healing,
because we know you can,
and we know you have before.
So we ask for healing, Lord.

But if you have us walk through this valley,
we trust that you will walk with us.

Help us sense your nearness in every appointment,
every treatment, and every uncertain night.
Open doors for resources, finances, and care.
Give us wisdom in every decision
and surround us with love and support. 

Remind us to rest in your presence,
So you can produce the fruit of your Spirit in us.
We trust you will grow in us the fruit of longsuffering,
But we pray that we will also experience, in equal measure,
the powerful fruit of joy and peace.

Amen.

Author: Cheree Hayes

Family Connection Moment:

Now that appointments are part of your family’s life, invite your community to help create something joyful. Start a silly hat or t-shirt collection that is bright, funny, or full of character. During each appointment, you and your child can choose one to wear, bringing color and laughter into the waiting room and a new topic of conversation beyond the diagnosis.

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find us: 
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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A Prayer For A Sick Day.
 

Creator God,

You are the one who 

knit this child into being—

fashioning cells and tissue 

to form this one of a kind person

I have the honor of parenting.

While their body battles internally 

through a miraculous web 

we call the immune system,

may I have the patience and compassion

to care for them well.

Rather than seeing this as an inconvenience, 

help me see it as an opportunity 

to remind them

how much they are loved. 

Help us accept the change of plans 

and missed events with grace,

and give us eyes to see tender moments 

when they arise. 

I can’t make antibodies, but I can make soup.

I can’t heal, but I can comfort. 

Slow us down to appreciate the power 

of simple gifts: sleep, fluids, clean sheets.

Thank you for the gift of medical professionals.

Help me discern when to 

enlist their expertise,

and when to let time and rest 

do their work.

May this child heal fully,

stronger than before and more equipped 

to handle the next wave of sickness

which will inevitably come.

We look forward to the New Creation, 

when there will be no sickness or disease 

and our bodies will all be made new. 

Author: Alli R. Dahlgren

Amen

Family connection moment: Take this opportunity to read some chapter books aloud with your younger child. For your older kids, pull out some of their favorite picture books from when they were little and enjoy revisiting them together.

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Find us and more free resources 
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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A Prayer for Contentment

God of Good Gifts,

Today, when my heart wanders to thoughts of more,

return my gaze to the beauty of what I already have.

Remind me of a time when I longed

to be a parent. 

So much about today is yesterday's dream,

and tomorrow is out of my hands.

So, God of every good thing,

help me live today fully present to 

the breath of a baby

the giggle of a toddler

the wide eyes of a growing child

and the beautiful ache of an adolescent.

When my thoughts swirl around

that vacation we can’t afford,

the perfectly organized house we won’t attain,

or that family who seems to have it all…

may I remember what a waste of time it is 

to covet my neighbor, 

and forgive me when I do. 

May this day be full of little joys

in the shape of cracker crumbs 

and mis-matched socks,

good morning hugs 

and late-night snuggles. 

Lord, help me realize

that much of what I want 

is what I already have.

Fill my heart with gratitude 

and help me trust you 

with my longings and hopes,

so I may fully rest into the gifts of today. 

Amen.

Author: Alli R. Dahlgren 
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Find us and 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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A Prayer for Seasons of Growth 

Steadfast God,

I need your fatherly care in these days of change,

for myself and for my children.

Their changes are expansive and reaching,

like load bearing walls being built 

on the foundation of who they are becoming.

My changes are subtle and disorienting,

like giving away clothes I no longer need,

growing in humility more than stature. 

This dual stretching 

can sometimes feel exhausting,

and I lack the strength I need 

to guide my children well. 

So again I find myself at your feet, Lord,

asking for your wisdom, asking for your strength.

Be the shepherd of our lives

through these parallel seasons of growth.

May we be a family characterized by love and grace 

in a volatile and frenetic culture.

We need your gentle wisdom

To anchor our home, 

To anchor our hearts.

When everything around and within us 

swirls and shakes,

You, Lord, are steadfast and faithful. 

Our unchanging Father,

trustworthy and wise in all you do. 

Amen.

Family Connection Moment: Find a scripture that resonates with your family’s season and display it on the fridge, share it in a group text, or read it aloud as a family. Some suggestions include Psalm 46 and 139.

Find Us: 
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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A Prayer for When Your Child Has a Panic Attack

Good Father,

You are no stranger to panic,
And you never leave us in it.

You who breathed the stars into being
once gasped for breath in a garden.
You wept.
You staggered.
You sweat blood.

You knew what was coming…
And your body could not hold the sorrow quietly.
You trembled and cried out.
You were overwhelmed.
So you stayed in the garden,
And you prayed.

Now my child trembles.
Her breath catches.
It chokes.
Her body believes a threat is near—
though, no cross looms on a hill.

Still… she cannot breathe.
Still… her hands shake.
Still… her mind spirals.

And I…
I can do nothing but stay.

So help me stay. And pray.

I will not rush to reason
where logic cannot reach.
I will not preach peace
while her body screams fear.

Instead—
I will be peace.
I will be presence.
I will be stillness.
I will be breath beside her
when hers is lost.

And as I hold her trembling frame,
I hold her up to you.

You who stayed awake that night
while your friends slept
stay with her now.

You who pray with groans
too deep for words
pray over her now.

You who never slumber,
who never sleep
be her shield.
Be her advocate.
Be her friend.

This moment…
is a midnight garden.
And you are not absent.

So I will sit with her, like you do.
I will keep watch.
I will pray.

Believing this night will not last – 
Resurrection is coming.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Author: Cheree Hayes 

Family Connection Moment:

When their breathing begins to slow, invite them to breathe with you.
Place your hand gently on your chest so they can see and follow.

On the inhale, say together: “God is with me”
On the exhale, say together: “in the storm.”

Repeat slowly, at least five times.
Let the words ride the breath until their body feels calmer, and remind them, “Even when we can’t stop the storm, God stays in it with us.”

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Find us and more free resources: 
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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A Prayer For When the Kids Are Fighting...Again.

Our Father,

Thank you for giving my children to each other. 

Thank you for their bond, and for all they will teach each other

about growing together, forbearance, and love that costs something.

But Lord, they are fighting again.

It is cutting and fierce and loud. 

Quiet their hearts. 

Where there is selfishness, banish it.

Where impatience is spilling over, give patience.

Teach them to see each other with charity.

Burden them for each other.

Jesus, give me wisdom for this moment:

Not to take a “side;” 

Not to intrude where they must discover on their own

what it’s like to be hurt, and to hurt.

Let me not neglect to protect them, either.

Let this be a real-world picture for them

Of the cost of real love

And the irreplaceable gift of their family.

Shepherd us gently towards peace,

generosity, self-forgetfulness, and love.

Amen.

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written by Alli R. Dahlgren

produced by Dan Gummel 

music by blue.sessions

Get more free family resources at www.gracebased.com