Renae Brumbaugh Green - God, Grant Me Serenity: Devotional Prayers for Mothers

Especially for

From

Date

2015 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-63058-732-1

Special Edition ISBN 978-1-63409-304-0

eBook Editions:

Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-241-8

Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-242-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: From God, Grant Me Serenity: Devotional Prayers for Mothers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked cev are from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in China.

To Charis and Foster, two of my greatest blessings.

Through you, God has given me the desires of my heart.

And to God, whose goodness far exceeds my ability to describe it.

To You be the glory and honor forever. I love You.

Introduction

I forgot to set the alarm. But somehow, I managed to get everyone dressed and out the door with ten seconds to spare, each with a plastic cup of chocolate milk and a slice of bread with peanut butterbreakfast of champions.

Thats when the darling boy child tripped and sloshed his milk all down the front of his clean clothes and into the interior of my newly vacuumed car. He stood there looking at me, eyes wide, milk running down his chin, dripping from his T-shirt, streaming down his jeans and into his sneakers. In that moment, I had a decision to make.

Many such moments have happened in the course of my motherhood career. I wish I could say Ive always made the right choices, but I havent. Far too many times Ive allowed frustration to spew all over the pallete of my familys emotional portrait, leaving ugly, hurtful stains. I wish I could rewind those moments and choose a different path, but I cant. All I can do is try to make different, better choices moving forward.

Im so glad we serve a forgiving God. Im also glad He had the foresight to make children forgiving creatures. When we bathe our mistakes in lots of kisses and with Im sorry and I love you, our children bounce back pretty well.

The prayers in this book are my attempt at choosing tranquility, peace, and the higher path when life lowballs me. I invite you to join me on this journey as together we draw near to our Godthe source of our serenity.

In Your Presence

Honor and majesty are [found] in his presence; strength and joy are [found] in his sanctuary.

1 C HRONICLES 16:27 AMP

Dear Father, many days I wonder where Ill find the strength to go another step. Im weary and worn out, and my joy is zapped. On those days, its good to know where I can find strength and joy: in Your presence. Its truewhen I make time in my busy schedule to spend quality time with You, I feel restored. I feel peace. I even feel a strength and majesty from knowing Im a child of the King. Lord, I dont know why I forget to spend time with You when there are so many benefits. Other demands close in. There are chores to be done, mouths to feed, boo-boos to kiss. Remind me, Lord, in the midst of the madness, to carve out time to renew my spirit. I need to daily replenish the strength and joy I know can only be found in You. Amen.

Finding Rest

And he said, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

E XODUS 33:14 ESV

Dear Father, how did You know how tired I get? I guess its further proof that You do know me better than anyone, that You never leave me, and that You care about me. Im humbled and amazed at the thought of You following me through my day simply because You love me and want to spend time with me. Im awed by the idea that You are closer than the beat of my heart, and no matter what happens, Youre right there to give me wisdom and comfort. When I remember Im not alonethat You walk each step with meit calms my spirit. It makes me feel rested and renewed, even when my body is exhausted. Thank You for going with me, Lord. Thank You for giving me rest. Amen.