How to Stay Calm During Busy Seasons with These 7 Prayers

One of the reasons I find myself in overwhelming busy seasons is because I forget my source. Everything we have is only ours because God provides for us. I often forget this and find myself looking for ways to increase our income, balance our books, and clean up our spending. But how many of us know the adage – the more you have, the more you spend. I forget too quickly that Jesus is the one who provides for us. To borrow Abraham’s description from Genesis, Jesus is our Jehovah Jireh. The one who provides. In this season of busyness, I find myself praying: 

Dear Jesus, 
I am finding myself overwhelmed and unsure. I need to know your peace and need to see you calm the storm in my life. I am running the rat race again, God, and I have forgotten that you provide all we need. When my kids need new shoes, you know, when my home needs new things, you know. Lord, would you remind me of your goodness and help me recall all of the times you have ensured our provision before? Give me faith to believe you will do that again. James tells me every good and perfect gift comes from above and I thank you for all that I have. I know being in need is a good thing because it helps remind my soul to lean on you. Lord, would you bring Calm to my soul and increase my trust in you? 
In Jesus name
Amen. 

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Another reason we need calm is that we often forget to prioritize our lives and leave ourselves stretched thin. Friend, in these moments, I need to be reminded of the correct order of the things in my life and who comes first. My world should always be God and then family. Everything else has its place after that. The list may differ for you, but in my life, I need to prioritize writing, work, my kids’ activities, and caring for those I love. When my life is not in order, and I am doing too many useless activities, I find stress builds. 

Dear Jesus, 
Help me, Lord, to remember that nothing should ever take your place; you belong in the preeminent spot of first. It's not a shared first. Help me prioritize my life and my to-do list, which says that you are first and everything else has its own space. Help me, Father God, not to burn the candle at both ends, using up whatever energy I have in the wrong places, but to rest in you, work from a place of love, and consider wisely what I say “yes” or “no” to. Holy Spirit, would you guide me in the right paths and show me the doors you would like me to walk through for your glory and your name’s sake?
 In Jesus Name
Amen. 

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Maybe you are not like me, and you would never compare yourself, your home, your car, your job, or your children to another family. Maybe you are the family I would find myself comparing myself against. It is such an easy rabbit hole to fall into, but once we are in that hole, it is so hard to come up for air and be grateful for the blessings God has given us, leaving us frustrated and in need of calm. 

Dear Jesus, 
I thank you for all you have given me and all the blessings you have bestowed on me. For my car, even if it is not brand new, my house still needs to be decorated for my job, my children, and my family. I thank you for all I have, which were gifts from you, and you have been kind to me. God, I pray you would place Holy blinkers on my eyes and keep me from coveting what my neighbor owns. Jesus, would you bring calm into my life by reminding me of all the good blessings you have brought to me and help me to be thankful for others, even if it seems like they are ahead of me in life? Holy Spirit, would you lead me on my path and help me not to compare? Remind me that there are things in my life others would want, and I am rich because God loves me; I am rich because I have my family, a roof over my head, and food on my table. Keep me humble and remind me of the goodness found in the simple life. It is there that calm will be found.
In Jesus name
Amen. 

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But we all know that in the season of having young kids around your feet, as much as they are the biggest blessing, there is also complete chaos that needs to be walked through. Floors that never seem clean, dishes that forever mount, and washing that seems to come from Mary Poppins bag! Added to that, the responsibility of looking after a life that you want to keep from harm and tend to carefully, but also balancing your issues from life to date is not easy.   It is in that season I pray: 

Dear Jesus, 
I will be forever thankful for the children you have given me. For the little hands I get to hold, the little feet that I see walk around my home, and the little smiles that brighten my day. But I am only human, and sometimes those little hands and feet make messes that I don’t even know how to clean; they go through clothes, food, and money like it is going out of fashion. As much as I am thankful, I am also sleep-deprived, malnourished, and over-touched. Jesus, would you help me parent them like Father God would? Would you help me to be gracious on the 50th time they shout Mom before 10 am? Would you help me to be kind when they spill another cup of juice and help me to love them purely, without ties or strings? This season will not last forever, but I ask God that you would bring calm to my home, that you, yourself, would be present with us, showing us the ropes and helping us deal with our life and not breed that into another generation. God, you are so good, and you love me so patiently. Help me be the same. 
In Jesus name
Amen. 

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As a person with health problems, I also know the frustration, anger, and annoyance that Medical gaslighting can do to a person. How many times have I gone to appointments to be talked down to, leaving with no answers and no diagnosis, being fully aware my body isn’t functioning correctly and unsure where to turn next? It is hard, and it brews a storm in me. It is on those days when I need calm reassurance from the father I say: 

Dear Jesus, 
I know this body of mine does not function as it should. It hurts where it shouldn’t; it does not sleep or rest well and is frustrating. But I know that you formed me in my mother’s womb; even in the dark of that place, you were knitting me together. I know you have a plan for my life, and I know that even in this place of pain and fatigue, that plan can still come to pass. Whether you choose to heal me this side of heaven or not, I will trust you. I pray, Lord, that you would bring to my path the doctors with empathy, the nurses who understand, the medical team willing to go the extra mile and listen to my story, listen to where I need their help. Jesus, I love you, and I know you understand pain and suffering. I know you get the distress, so I ask you to help me be gracious not only to others when they make silly comments but also to myself when I want to push myself further than I should. Help me live my life calmly because I trust you with my whole body, mind, and soul. 
In Jesus Name
Amen. 

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For the students among us who struggle with learning and exams and who do not know what tomorrow holds but are simply following the path they believed God was directing them to, maybe we could pray: 

Dear Jesus, 
As I study for my exams, I pray that you will help me recall the information I need to know. Help me to remain calm, breathe, and not panic. I know these exams hold importance in the next step of my life, but at the end of the day, you are the author of my steps and the one who will open doors no one can shut and change my direction if you see fit. I trust your plan and your will for my life. Let me not get caught up in grades and stress, but live a life calmly, following your voice in whatever comes next. 
In Jesus Name
Amen. 

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Lastly, I know some of us stay busy because it is much easier than dealing with the trauma beneath the surface. If our minds and hands are busy, we need not worry about the layers of hurt, abandonment, or grief that lie there dormant. But, friend, this busy season is so dangerous that it can never end unless you are willing to unlock the door to the closet that holds all these dark and hard emotions and deal with them. Maybe in this season, you could ask God: 

Dear Jesus,
I have been busy for so long now that I do not know how to rest or stop. The trauma haunts me even at the thought of unlocking the door, and so my life is like a merry-go-round that I cannot get off. It cannot stop, and calm is a long-distant memory. God, I ask you today to bring along the people I need to help me deal with my trauma. The remaining layers need to go, and I need to allow you to bring peace, calm, and quiet to areas of my life I have guarded for too long. Jesus, I need you to help me unlock that closet and deal with those things, even one at a time. 
I am broken, and I know you are the healer; you are the one who binds up and rebuilds, and I ask you, know God, to do that for me and in me. 
In Jesus Name
Amen.  

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