Cultivating Peace Through Praying with the Psalms

Laura Steiner finds ways to pray and live with the psalms during a particularly chaotic season of motherhood.

This summer, a simple two-week visit to my grandfather’s house in Destin, Florida, morphed into one of the most chaotic seasons of motherhood I’ve experienced yet. My husband needed to be out of state to renovate one of our homes before a new tenant moves in, so we thought having the kids and me stay with my parents and grandfather would be the best course of action. However, Murphy’s Law kicked in full force in ways none of us could have expected. 

The Chaos Began, and How I Changed My Approach  

My 90 year-old grandfather, still grieving the recent and unexpected loss of his wife of nearly 70 years, had already been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks before our arrival. Two days after we arrived he needed an emergency amputation surgery, and the recovery was not easy. On top of that, both of my children came down with RSV, and my son got a double ear infection several days later, then experienced a scary allergic reaction to the antibiotics.

For a week, I spent more days in the hospital than not. Potty training regressed. My toddler decided to stop sleeping through the night. My own pregnancy fatigue and morning sickness were unrelenting. I was lucky to get Morning or Evening Prayer in (it was rare to be able to pray both in a single day during this chaotic time!), maybe a Rosary here and there. At most, I could pray a decade at a time before being called away to minister to the loved ones around me or simply being distracted.  

Yet despite the difficulties, I was able to remain positive overall. My children deserved a mother who was a force for good, a comforting and warm presence as they recovered from their illnesses. My parents, learning to be caregivers to my grandfather, deserved a patient daughter and a helping hand. To submerge myself in self-pity, frustration, or resentment would be a great disservice to my little ones, to my parents, and my dear grandfather — but most of all, to myself.

I could have focused on all the negatives that seemed to be multiplying by the day, but through my feeble attempts at daily prayer, a pervading sense of calm took root in my soul. Psalm 63, my most cherished of the psalmist’s compositions, carried me through — especially during those many sleepless nights.   

Praying and Living with the Psalms   

The introductory verse for each of the day hours of the Divine Office — “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me” (Psalm 69) — is such a simple petition for God’s help during difficult times, that we can often forget it can be employed as a prayer in itself, outside the Office! When both of my children were inconsolable at the same time and everyone else was at the hospital. When one of them had an accident for the third time that day. When I felt so utterly exhausted, yet still had hours to go until bedtime and any hint of a break. All I had to do was utter these simple words, and I felt peace.   

In the words of Psalm 63, which expresses David’s deep longing for the Lord during a time of extreme personal turmoil in the wilderness of Judah, I certainly felt “like a dry, weary land without water” seeking to gaze on God’s strength and glory. Particularly when my one-year-old decided she would start yelling through Sunday Mass and I had to spend the entire liturgy with her in the vestibule. 

My soul clung to God, and during those sleepless nights I was able to reach a new understanding of how God helps me and is at my side every second of the day. I felt God’s love as I surrendered, and I truly felt like my soul was full. Despite the challenges, God’s “love is better than life.” I was not perfect by any means, but relying on prayer during this chaotic time forged me into a more peace-filled version of myself, which in turn magnified the peace in my own family.   

I was able to enter more deeply into the psalms, which helped me learn to surrender and praise God without ceasing, and instilled a sense of peace despite the surrounding storm. I can take these learnings and apply them even more intentionally during the next chaotic season of motherhood, which may be months from now — or right around the corner. Only God knows.    

What does cultivating peace through prayer look like in your own family life? 

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Copyright 2025 Laura Taylor Steiner
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