5 Prayers for Families to Battle the Winter Blues
Last week it felt like minutes were hours as we hunkered down for yet another snow day. Our son paced the floor, restless and bored. He’d read his books and played his video games. He cleaned his room and finished up the chores. He baked with Mom in the kitchen and took the dog for a walk in the snow. Yet the hours to bedtime still stretched out before him, empty and dull.
Maybe you, too, are finding that winter’s icy roads, snow days from school, and post-holiday blahs are taking a toll on your family. You feel irritable and tired. Monotonous days run together. You crave some warmth and a fun change of pace, but the chill of winter drags on and on.
It’s no coincidence that our emotions can suffer in the winter months. The frigid temperatures and grey landscape can drastically affect our outlook on life. The American Psychiatric Association shows that two in five people report winter negatively impacting their mood. If your family is feeling run down, moping around the house, and wishing you could remain snuggled up on the couch, then you aren’t alone.
Does your family need a burst of light, laughter, and hope in this season? Let these five prayers help you battle the winter blues as you bask in the one true Light, Jesus.
1) A Prayer for Contentment
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)
Lord,
When energy and moods are low, it’s tough to see the good around us. We complain about the cold. We swing from pressured and stressed to feeling bored with too little to do. Our family’s quirks and habits get on each other’s nerves, and cabin fever makes it feel like the walls are closing in. Gratitude, laughter, and warmth are fading fast in our home.
Change our hearts, Lord, so we celebrate your goodness to our family. Turn our grumbling to gratitude for all the ways you meet our needs and keep us from harm. Help us to value one another as not just family, but as friends who bring joy to our days. Teach us the art of contentment that is satisfied by simple things and willing to move at the pace of this season. May we praise you for your faithful love that is the best gift we’ll ever know.
Amen.
2) A Prayer for Strength
[The Lord] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)
Lord,
We’re tired. In this wintry season, it’s as if it takes twice the effort to do half of what needs doing each day. We feel the letdown after the holiday season while facing weeks and months of work before the sunny freedom of summer break. Our hearts are burdened, too, by tragic headlines and the turmoil in this sin-broken world. We need you to restore our strength, energy, and motivation to carry on.
Supply us with health and willing spirits to tackle what’s before us each day. Make our home a place where we can rest, be encouraged, and build each other up. Teach us what it means to lean on your strength that provides for our needs and guides our way. Turn our focus outward so we can care for those around us who need a helping hand. May we praise you for your power and love that never lets us go.
Amen.
3) A Prayer to Show Kindness
“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
Lord,
When we’re fatigued and stressed, it’s tempting to try to go it alone. We hide behind our devices. We choose solitude over quality time as a family. When we come together, we find ourselves bickering and finding fault. We start to wonder Who’s on my side? Am I loved just as I am? Who will help me when it’s all too much to handle? We need you to make our home a peaceful haven in the storm.
By your Spirit, bear your fruit of kindness in our family. Keep us compassionate and gentle so grace-filled words can calm our hearts. Show us what it means to pull together and give support. Teach us to be diligent in prayer so we lift up each other’s needs to you each day. Spark laughter and fun, affection and praise so that “home” is our safe place in this world. Let us love like you so anxiety gives way to peace and joy.
Amen.
4) A Prayer for Purpose
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Lord,
In the darkness of winter, it can seem like we’re just marking time until spring. The days blur together in their sameness. The landscape looks grey and bleak. We’re anxious to trade snow pants for swim trunks and leave this season in the rear-view mirror. How can we live with purpose in the moment when this season drags on and on?
Open our eyes to see your “good, pleasing and perfect will” for these days (Romans 12:2). Use our family to help, serve, and care for others in your name. Awaken our curiosity with an eagerness to learn new things about you and the world you’ve made. Motivate our family to work hard and test our limits, discovering more of who you created us to be. Deepen our faith in you as the Author of our lives who doesn’t waste a single moment. May we worship you for breathing life and meaning into all we do.
Amen.
5) A Prayer for Healing
“But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” (Psalm 40:17)
Lord,
My family calls on you for help and strength, knowing you answer. We trust you to protect us and meet our needs. We can recognize your faithful care that holds our family together. Yet life in this season has knocked our loved one off their feet. They’re lost in the darkness of anxiety and despair. Weak and exhausted, they don’t have the strength to fight for joy. They need you to heal, to help, and to restore their hope today.
Put your arms around our loved one, Lord, and mend what’s broken in their spirit. Let them know you as their Rescuer, their Champion, and “the One who lifts my head high” (Psalm 3:3). Wash away any doubts and discouragement so they trust you with all their heart. Show our family how to wrap closely around them with unconditional love that holds on tight. Guide us toward the support and help that will make a difference. Give us determined faith that finds rest in you. Your love will never let us go.
Amen.
God brings light to the darkness by revealing His powerful and tender love. To help your family cope with anxiety, depression, and detachment as you navigate this season, we created these resources to encourage your spirits and move you closer to the light of Christ:
Conversation Starters for Families
101 Prayers to Cope with Depression
[LISTEN] How to Help Your Kids Cope with Anxiety—with Kelly Boprie
[LISTEN] Handling Anxiety in Motherhood—with Courtney Devich
[READ] How to Find Peace When Your Child is Struggling
[READ] 4 Ways to Navigate Stress as a Couple
[LISTEN] How to Restore a Joyful Spirit in Your Home—with Tama Fortner
