5 Ways to Seek Strength from God as a New Mom

1. Cover Your World with Verses You Can Turn Into Prayers

In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His power. Hebrews 1:2-4

God’s Word brought all we see into existence, holds all Creation together, and Scripture says that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh! When we use God’s Word to guide our prayers, we can have greater confidence that what we are praying is God’s heart and aligned with His ways. If it is by God’s Word that the whole of Creation holds together, then we can also be sure that His Word will help hold us together when we feel like fraying apart with exhaustion!

Find Bible verses that encourage and strengthen you, then post them around your space (work/home/car—wherever a post-it note will stick!). Use those Scriptures as a jumping-off place for your prayers. Make sure you switch them out when you start to slack on reading/using them each time you see them.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Psalm 84:5-8 NASB

The above passage exemplifies a verse I might post on my bathroom mirror. And I might use the passage to form a prayer like this:

Lord, Your Word says that blessed are those whose strength is from you. I am emptied of my own strength right now and entirely dependent on you. Please fill me with your strength! Your Word also says that you lead your people from strength to strength. I am in a new place in my life where I need _________________new kind of strength to fulfill these tasks in my life. Please lead me into your strength. Thank you for hearing my prayer!

2. Ask Others to Pray for You

Ask for prayer from those around you! And be specific in your requests for strength. If you are struggling to get up for middle-of-the-night feedings, ask someone to pray for you to have the grace and strength to do so. If it is a struggle to juggle the new baby with the other siblings, ask someone to pray for strength and wisdom for that responsibility.

I remember a season when I absolutely could not juggle all my responsibilities. I asked a sister in the Lord to pray for me that I might learn some better management skills so I could be successful in all these jobs God had given me. And you know what? God brought some fresh skills across my path, and they truly did maximize how I was able to juggle life’s responsibilities!

So if you need strength to take care of your family, be assured it is God’s desire for you to flourish in this task and you can come before Him with complete faith that He will provide for you to do what He has laid in front of you. You can also ask friends and family to pray for God’s strength in your life. It isn’t weak or wrong to ask others to pray for you! Sometimes we are hesitant to ask for prayer for ourselves, especially life-juggling kind of requests. Everyone has some kind of struggle, and it can often feel too “unimportant” to make a prayer request. But it is when we are alone and weary the enemy pounces on us. So don’t let yourself be exhausted AND vulnerable. Invite others into your journey by asking for prayer.

Bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Lord, help me invite others into my life by asking for prayer. I need the strength that You give through sharing life with a spiritual community. Please help me have a humble heart to ask when I am in need and guide me to the right woman to ask.

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3. Keep a Journal

As a new mom, I started a prayer journal for my son. I wrote out my thoughts on one part of the pages, prayers to the Lord on another, and always included a verse I was praying over him at the time. It has been so encouraging to see how God has worked and provided for the needs I lifted up to Him regarding my baby boy. The NICU stay that surprised us and hurled us into unknown territory, the health issues and extreme sleepless nights, the milestone developments, and the matters of the heart as he has grown into a pre-teen all recorded like Ebenezer stones. I am so grateful for those snapshots of God’s provision, grace, and strength poured over our weaknesses and needs.

They shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD… Judges 5:11

Lord help me find a way to recount your faithfulness to me so that I can remember it in time of need! Thank You for the way You brought me through ___________________ in the past.

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4. Focus on Praise

“The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation;

This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” Exodus 15:2

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.

Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.

Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done. 1 Chronicles 16:9-12

Before I had my son, I spent long hours in God’s Word preparing Bible study messages for women’s ministry. I cherished these deep times of study in Scripture and the hours shared with my Lord’s sweet presence. Motherhood and several other changes around the same time took me from that season of study and deep “drinking” from God’s Word into a “camel season.” That oasis of deep study came sparingly and often with much struggle to find them. I didn’t get to linger in God’s Word the same way, and when I did get a good long drink from His Word, I was living like a spiritual camel and needed to store it up for the desert journey.

One day I was attending an online women’s ministry gathering of ladies from all over the country. The group leader asked about a time in the last six months when the Lord met us in a meaningful way. Everyone shared about retreats and conferences. With my baby son’s health issues, it was really hard for me to get away. Inside my heart I began to feel a bit “left behind the door” as my grandmother used to say. Then the Holy Spirit stirred to memory how sweetly His presence filled the times I sang praise songs to soothe my son. Yes! God was there, deeply, presently, powerfully, and filling me with strength as I endlessly walked, rocked, and sought to comfort my baby.

I began to lean into the strength that comes when we praise God. I might not meet with the Lord in all the same ways I did before becoming a mom, but that was no reason to think God wouldn’t meet with me! And in the simple practice of singing praise songs while I comforted my son, God did indeed fill me with His strength.

Make praise a priority in your day! Even if you do it while you wash dishes or rock your little one. God inhabits the praises of His people. Singing praises to Him is a simple but practical way to lean into His strength and presence amidst the chaos and needs of motherhood.

Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and joy are in His place.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

Bring an offering, and come before Him;

Worship the LORD in holy array. 1 Chronicles 16:27-29

Lord, please draw me into worship and thanksgiving so I might find that sweet source of strength You have tied to joy and praise. Open my eyes to Your joy throughout my day.

5. Commit Your Weakness to God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10

The Lord calls us to be strong in Him, not in ourselves. A very practical practice I was taught by a woman who mentored me is what I call“Spiritual connect the dots.” As Christians, we are privileged to be able to confidently ask God to fill our weakness with His strength. So when we own our weakness we are able to define, label and understand it. When we better understand our weakness, we can seek God’s strength of character to fill our weakness.

I like to write this out in list form with two columns - one for my weakness and one for Bible verses describing God’s strength that is the anecdote for my weakness. For example, I might write that I am losing my temper too easily (that’s my weakness), and in the other column, I would write that God is slow to anger, abounding in love (Exodus 34:6). Then each time I loose my temper, I seek God’s forgiveness and also His strength to fill my weakness - which is that I am not slow to anger and I am not abounding in love at that moment. When it is all written out in black and white, it makes it easier for me to focus on His strength for my need.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2

God, please be my refuge and strength! Let me experience You as very present during this season in my life. While everything changes around me, be by stability and strength!

May the God of all strength fill you as you seek His face!