3 Honest Prayers for Moms Who Are About to Lose It

Motherhood is a sacred calling and a gift from the Lord. But let’s be honest—it can also be exhausting, overwhelming, and downright maddening at times. Whether you’re drowning in responsibilities, worn thin by whiny voices, or struggling to manage emotions (both your child’s and your own), these three quick prayers are here to help. They’re short enough to pray in the heat of the moment but deep enough to anchor you in God’s truth.

Take a breath. Say a prayer. And remember—you’re not in this alone!

1) When I Want to Run Away from My Responsibilities

Oh God, I need You right now. I feel broken, bloodied, and bruised. I feel overwhelmed with too many tasks and incapable of doing them all well. My body is tired. My mind cannot focus.

I imagine myself running away from all my responsibilities, but there is no freedom in that either. Because when I stop and think about it, I love the tasks You have given me. My job, my family, my children, and all that comes with them are blessings from You. I am the one You have chosen for this role.

Your righteous right hand will uphold me (Isaiah 41:10). Oh God, plant that knowledge deep in my heart. I pray that I would feel Your strength flowing into me. And in the times when I can’t feel it, I pray You would endow me with a special abundance of faith.

2) When My Kids Are So Loud, Needy, and Whiny That I Want to Scream

God, I feel like I am the deputy director of a million stupid things that I couldn’t care less about, but which seem to determine whether my kids will have a meltdown or not. I cannot handle the whining. I cannot handle the screaming. I cannot handle the snot and the tears and their endless clawing at me for more, more, more. More of me when I feel like I am spent. I’ve got nothing left. How does any of this matter in the eternal scheme of things? I am exhausted all the time, and I can’t point to a single thing I accomplished today that feels meaningful.

I need You, God, because I am about to lose it. So I choose right now to shut my mouth, quiet my heart, and return to what is true. All of this matters because my children matter. These thousands of tiny sacrifices are reinforcing in them that they have a mother who cares about what matters to them. And I pray that my caring about their little things will one day translate into knowing the You care about the little things. All the things. So, for that reason, I will never stop caring. I will never stop giving. I will never stop doing the job You have called me to do.

God, I choose to be still in this moment—despite their cries in the background—and meditate on this truth, reminding myself of why I do what I do. Oh Lord, You are so pleased with my every effort to love and care for these children, and Your pleasure has an eternal weight to it. All things can be done for Your glory, God. Thank You for this reminder. God, Give me the energy to continue through this day, and refresh my sleep for another day of the same.

3) Healthy Outlets for Emotions

Lord, being a kid is hard. Little people can have big emotions and lots of them. Help me to be patient as I teach [child] to identify [his/her] emotions and then choose healthy outlets to express them. Our culture platforms and applauds people who spew their every feeling, equating emotional outbursts with “speaking truth.” I pray that [child] would feel comfortable expressing [his/her] feelings without erupting into emotional rants.

Help me coach [child] to identify what emotion [he/she] is feeling and why so that [he/she] can respond appropriately and productively. I pray I would help [child] channel [his/her] emotions in a healthy way, reminding [him/her] that the best art, the most beautiful songs, and the fiercest athletes are often the result of passions directed toward constructive ends.

Give me the eyes to see when [his/her] behaviors are hiding big feelings that [he/she] doesn’t know how to express. I pray especially over frustration, as this one emotion can be the root cause of many behavioral issues. As [child] learns to identify [his/her] emotions, may [he/she] use this knowledge to develop healthier coping mechanisms. I pray that this introspection would not lead to self-preoccupation, but rather to a greater sense of self-control and the ability to empathize with others.

Lord, I say all this as I look in the mirror. I can sometimes let my own emotions get overrun by my child’s emotions, and then I find myself modeling all the things I’m trying to teach [child] not to do. Please grant me grace and levelheadedness to be the example I want [him/her] to follow.

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For more honest prayers like these, check out Pocket Prayers for Mama Bears. For moms on the go, these 100 to-the-point prayers will give voice to the cries of your heart and help you experience God’s comfort and hope—no matter where you are or what you face each day.