1. No Guilt, No Shame

Your first prayer should revolve around cleansing your soul of any guilt or shame you are dealing with. If you are beating yourself up because you aren’t handling a transition “well” (in your mind), don’t! You are not alone. A lot of people struggle with transitions (myself included). Remind yourself of that and pray for acceptance of the situation.

Our God is not a God of guilt and shame. He does not beat you up for your mistakes or sins. Jesus didn’t pay it all so we could wallow in guilt. He took the ultimate sacrifice so we could live free, free to embrace His good plans for our lives.

If you are struggling with guilt or shame in regard to how you are handling a transition, then pray for the Lord to remove these negative feelings. These thoughts are coming from the enemy, trying to hold you back. Pray for God to “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

Only God can defend you from Satan’s attacks. God is your shield, your armor, your protection. Go to Him in prayer, asking for relief from these harmful thoughts. Satan thrives when we beat ourselves up. God desires to release you from these unproductive thoughts. Let Him! Stop beating yourself and move forward with His help.

2. Accept God’s Timing

Transitions take time to adjust. We are all unique beings, and our ability to handle new situations is also individual. Just because some people can be more flexible and change on a dime, this doesn’t mean you have to. We all process things at different speeds.

A pastor once shared the analogy of how he and his wife accept change. He can turn on a dime like a jet ski. His wife accepts change more like a tanker, slow and steady. Both eventually make the rotation, just at different speeds. Same goal, different path.

Pray to accept God’s timing. His timing is perfect, and not always the same as ours. There might be a reason He wants you adjusting to a new season. There might be something He wants you to learn. Don’t rush the process. Diamonds take time to cultivate. God is molding us; it doesn’t happen overnight.

“We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand.” (Isiah 64:8)

God doesn’t tell us when we will accept a new stage. Suddenly, you will wake up one day feeling okay about your new situation. Pray that God will give you contentment during this transition and the ability to be patient through the change. Ask for acceptance of His timing and help moving forward.

3. Keep Taking Steps Forward

If you feel stuck during a transition and are unsure where to go, try to take one step forward every day, not knowing where it might lead you. This is where our faith takes over.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is trusting that God gave you this transition for your good and His glory. This is an opportunity to trust in Him. This is easier said than done, but that’s when our faith gets tested. Do we believe He will help us through this change? Do you believe in Him and His plans for you?

I can provide a great example with this one. I started homeschooling five years ago. I felt unequipped and unqualified, and we made the change suddenly without much preparation time. For someone who is more of a tanker than a jet ski, this was an extremely difficult transition for me and one that took a while to embrace.

However, it was during this season that God showed up in a huge way for me. He provided me resources I didn’t even know I needed. He gave me people along the way. He answered prayers in ways I can still hardly believe. My faith was tested, and guess what? God showed up in every way, staying true to His promises.

Sometimes we must take a step forward so God can show us the new path. Pray, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

4. Your Will Be Done

We must remember during the twists and turns of our life that it is His will (not ours) that will be done. Sometimes it’s easy to forget this. We make our plans and orchestrate our days, only to get frustrated and surprised when they are interrupted. We forget God is the one who determines our days and ultimately how many we will have. He knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). He knows the number of days you will be given (Psalm 139:16).

It is His will, not ours. That means these transitions are for our good and His glory. Remembering why we are here in the first place —to glorify God and enjoy Him forever —helps us reset our minds.

When our daughters face challenges, we remind them that this is being done for you and not to you. When we re-adjust our mindset, it resets our perspective on the matter. It’s easy to question why something is happening to you. It’s easy to ask why you. Whatever transition you are facing is not against but rather for you. God will use this, along with everything else in your life, to shape and mold you into the person He wants you to become.

This can be a painful process, yet part of His long-term plan, not our short-term goal. Keep praying the Lord’s prayer, and specifically Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

5. Use the Bible as a Guide

The Bible is an incredible source to help you get through any transition. It’s full of wisdom, knowledge, and stories that help guide us through a situation. It’s the only source of pure truth out there. Use it!

When praying about your transition, use people in the Bible who might help you as an example to fill in your shortcomings. If you need strength to continue, pray to gain strength like Samson, or to have faith like Abraham, who followed God’s plan for his life even though he had no idea where he was going. Pray to have wisdom like Solomon, or loyalty like Ruth.

There are so many more examples and stories that might help you find the perseverance to forge ahead during a time of change. Use them as a guide, but remember that, aside from Jesus, those people were also sinners like us. They messed up, and God forgave them.

We will mess up and won’t always handle life’s fluctuations with the grace and flexibility we think we should have. However, God is always there to help us, to pick us up when we fall down, and to guide us through the difficult seasons of life.

What a relief we don’t have to navigate this crazy world alone! I will also share one of my favorite verses because I think it effectively summarizes how to handle situations.

Philippians 4:4-6 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Rejoice in God. Hand over your feelings to Him and give thanks! The verse continues by telling us that when we do this, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. What comfort, what a blessing.

I pray these prayers will help you in your transition. I encourage you to seek Him who can provide you with the wisdom and peace you need.

1. No Guilt, No Shame

Your first prayer should revolve around cleansing your soul of any guilt or shame you are dealing with. If you are beating yourself up because you aren’t handling a transition “well” (in your mind), don’t! You are not alone. A lot of people struggle with transitions (myself included). Remind yourself of that and pray for acceptance of the situation.

Our God is not a God of guilt and shame. He does not beat you up for your mistakes or sins. Jesus didn’t pay it all so we could wallow in guilt. He took the ultimate sacrifice so we could live free, free to embrace His good plans for our lives.

If you are struggling with guilt or shame in regard to how you are handling a transition, then pray for the Lord to remove these negative feelings. These thoughts are coming from the enemy, trying to hold you back. Pray for God to “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

Only God can defend you from Satan’s attacks. God is your shield, your armor, your protection. Go to Him in prayer, asking for relief from these harmful thoughts. Satan thrives when we beat ourselves up. God desires to release you from these unproductive thoughts. Let Him! Stop beating yourself and move forward with His help.

2. Accept God’s Timing

Transitions take time to adjust. We are all unique beings, and our ability to handle new situations is also individual. Just because some people can be more flexible and change on a dime, this doesn’t mean you have to. We all process things at different speeds.

A pastor once shared the analogy of how he and his wife accept change. He can turn on a dime like a jet ski. His wife accepts change more like a tanker, slow and steady. Both eventually make the rotation, just at different speeds. Same goal, different path.

Pray to accept God’s timing. His timing is perfect, and not always the same as ours. There might be a reason He wants you adjusting to a new season. There might be something He wants you to learn. Don’t rush the process. Diamonds take time to cultivate. God is molding us; it doesn’t happen overnight.

“We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand.” (Isiah 64:8)

God doesn’t tell us when we will accept a new stage. Suddenly, you will wake up one day feeling okay about your new situation. Pray that God will give you contentment during this transition and the ability to be patient through the change. Ask for acceptance of His timing and help moving forward.

3. Keep Taking Steps Forward

If you feel stuck during a transition and are unsure where to go, try to take one step forward every day, not knowing where it might lead you. This is where our faith takes over.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is trusting that God gave you this transition for your good and His glory. This is an opportunity to trust in Him. This is easier said than done, but that’s when our faith gets tested. Do we believe He will help us through this change? Do you believe in Him and His plans for you?

I can provide a great example with this one. I started homeschooling five years ago. I felt unequipped and unqualified, and we made the change suddenly without much preparation time. For someone who is more of a tanker than a jet ski, this was an extremely difficult transition for me and one that took a while to embrace.

However, it was during this season that God showed up in a huge way for me. He provided me resources I didn’t even know I needed. He gave me people along the way. He answered prayers in ways I can still hardly believe. My faith was tested, and guess what? God showed up in every way, staying true to His promises.

Sometimes we must take a step forward so God can show us the new path. Pray, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

4. Your Will Be Done

We must remember during the twists and turns of our life that it is His will (not ours) that will be done. Sometimes it’s easy to forget this. We make our plans and orchestrate our days, only to get frustrated and surprised when they are interrupted. We forget God is the one who determines our days and ultimately how many we will have. He knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). He knows the number of days you will be given (Psalm 139:16).

It is His will, not ours. That means these transitions are for our good and His glory. Remembering why we are here in the first place —to glorify God and enjoy Him forever —helps us reset our minds.

When our daughters face challenges, we remind them that this is being done for you and not to you. When we re-adjust our mindset, it resets our perspective on the matter. It’s easy to question why something is happening to you. It’s easy to ask why you. Whatever transition you are facing is not against but rather for you. God will use this, along with everything else in your life, to shape and mold you into the person He wants you to become.

This can be a painful process, yet part of His long-term plan, not our short-term goal. Keep praying the Lord’s prayer, and specifically Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

5. Use the Bible as a Guide

The Bible is an incredible source to help you get through any transition. It’s full of wisdom, knowledge, and stories that help guide us through a situation. It’s the only source of pure truth out there. Use it!

When praying about your transition, use people in the Bible who might help you as an example to fill in your shortcomings. If you need strength to continue, pray to gain strength like Samson, or to have faith like Abraham, who followed God’s plan for his life even though he had no idea where he was going. Pray to have wisdom like Solomon, or loyalty like Ruth.

There are so many more examples and stories that might help you find the perseverance to forge ahead during a time of change. Use them as a guide, but remember that, aside from Jesus, those people were also sinners like us. They messed up, and God forgave them.

We will mess up and won’t always handle life’s fluctuations with the grace and flexibility we think we should have. However, God is always there to help us, to pick us up when we fall down, and to guide us through the difficult seasons of life.

What a relief we don’t have to navigate this crazy world alone! I will also share one of my favorite verses because I think it effectively summarizes how to handle situations.

Philippians 4:4-6 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Rejoice in God. Hand over your feelings to Him and give thanks! The verse continues by telling us that when we do this, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. What comfort, what a blessing.

I pray these prayers will help you in your transition. I encourage you to seek Him who can provide you with the wisdom and peace you need.