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 My Child’s Friendships

Good Father,

You see my child as she learns to navigate

the fragile ecosystem of friendship.

You see the unseen pressures,

the confusion,

and the ache to fit in.

You see the temptations—

to mock what she actually loves,

to pretend she enjoys what she does not,

to minimize what matters,

to magnify what earns applause,

to trade honesty for belonging.

You know how quickly the approval of others

can become a compass.

Kids rarely sprint away from themselves.

They drift, one tiny adjustment at a time.

So please, Lord,

give my child courage to choose truth

even when it costs her social applause.

Fill her with strength to be

compassionate without compromise.

Anchor her in your wisdom

so she is always on course.

Root her deeply in your love

so she knows she belongs wherever she goes.

And secure her in integrity so she remains

herself no matter what’s trending.

Preserve the gentle friendships,

the steady ones, the kind ones,

especially if they are not popular.

Let those friendships grow and flourish.

And when rejection does come,

because of course it will, encourage her.

When she gets left out, hold her hand.

When she is misunderstood, steady her mind.

When she feels alone, remind her you are right there.

Keep her close to you, close to the truth,

and close to the people who love her well.

Good Father, be her friend.

Her closest friend.

Amen.

written by Cheree Hayes
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 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.
-------------
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