Welcome to the Prayers for Parents podcast. Here you’ll find liturgies for home and family to help you connect with God in the midst of all of the beautiful chaos of raising kids. Take a breath as we meditate on a short passage of Scripture and close with a thoughtful prayer.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Revelation 21:1-5
Lord,
As we look behind us
To all that has unfolded
Over the year
The joys and sorrows
Griefs and gains
From new jobs to new lives
And all the little new beginnings and victories
Which have now become part
Of our family’s ordinary rhythms
We thank you
At this time we make it a point to marvel
At the work of your all-knowing hands
How you have laced together our prayers
Securing our hopes with the joy of your provision
We take not for granted
These new mercies and blessings
This season has brought our way
And Lord, we also acknowledge
The heaviness we feel
As we wrestle to reconcile
The loss of some of these very blessings
Whether the loss of a job
Or the loss of a dear life
And the smaller griefs of unmet expectations
Of desires unfulfilled
We ask you now to
Hold us close in all our longings
Let us lean further into your presence
In this now-and-not-yet world
Where we see glimpses of your glory
But also the stinging bite of sin
Help us hold to the promise
Of all things being made new
In the fullness of time
As we go about our planning
Remind us of the pattern of your personality—
Faithfulness and love
For you have brought us this far
And you will deliver us in due time
Into the fullness of joy in your presence
As this Christmas season slips away
Help us cling to Emmanuel
Our greatest hope in the joys and the sorrows
God with us
From the deepest pit
To the highest mountain
And also the steady plugging along
Let the nearness of your Spirit
Be our peace and our delight
As we reckon with both the year behind
And the one in store
As we forge our way ahead into the dark of the new year
Be our light to lead us
Ever deeper and nearer
To the light of your son
Who makes all things new
Perfecting us as we trek
through this imperfect in-between
And above any goal
Let us seek to align our longings
So that we may yearn for closeness with you
Above all else
Amen
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And may the Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
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