As a parent, you want the best for your children. You may be searching to say more prayers for your children. You want them to grow up happy and healthy, and you want them to find success in whatever they do. So, praying for them is one of the most important and natural things that a parent can do. Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons we have against the enemy, and when we pray for our children, we are asking God to protect them and guide them. In this article, we will discuss praying for our children and give example prayers for those who might need ideas or options.
As an example of a brief prayer to keep on our minds daily (we call them pocket prayers) you might consistently pray something similar to this:
“Dear Father, I thank you for my child/children. I ask that you put Your hand of protection over and around them on a consistent basis. May (child’s name) be a person who lives a life of good character, loves others, and is someone who looks to You for strength. Keep them on Your paths and let them learn to be wise, making good choices through their days. In Jesus’ name, Amen.“
The Bible tells us that we lift up prayers for our children. In Psalm 127:
“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”
The Lord places a high value on children, and we should too. The best thing you can do for your children is to pray that they grow up to walk with the Lord and be a shining examples of the love of Christ.
When sincerely pray prayers for our children we show God that we trust in Him and His plan for their lives. It’s also a way to ask the Lord for guidance on how to raise them, as well as protection from anything that might harm them. As you pray for your children, you can also pray prayers for your home and the protection of all who live there,
God absolutely wants parents to be a good example to their children. He wants us to raise them in an atmosphere where they know they are loved by God and their parents. So, it is good to keep prayers for our children on the front burner of our minds.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
Most Important Prayers For Your children.
The most important type of prayers for your children are ones asking that they follow Jesus Christ and make Him the center of their lives. We should pray that they have a personal relationship with Him and that they would come to know Him as their Savior. We should also ask God to protect them from evil. There are many spiritual battles in this world today and God will honor the prayers of faithful parents as we pray for our children.
Let’s dive into some example prayers for your children that might be of help to you. Keep in mind that these are just general prayers and you should pray according to what you know about your sick child’s specific situation.
Prayers for Our Children – Spiritual Health
“Dear Father,
“I pray that my child will realize that the most important thing in life is to keep your spiritual life in balance. I pray that they will have a personal relationship with Jesus and know Him as their Savior. I ask that I will raise them up in a home where they know they are loved by You and me. I ask that they would make prayer and Bible study a part of their lives and that they would be a shining example of Christ-like love to those around them. Give them a passion for loving you and knowing you.
I ask that they wouldn’t simply look at the scriptures or the spiritual life as some kind of checklist, but they will know and obey your word because of the incredible love you have for them and their loving relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.“
Prayers For Your Children – Physical Protection
We all want to pray for the physical protection of our children. The world is full of all sorts of danger and we want our children to be as safe as possible, so it’s wise to ask God for His protection in this area too. We can have confidence that when we pray, He will hear us, and He will answer our prayers according to His will.
We should have concern and do all that we can to keep them safe and pray for their safety. This is not to say that we should be constantly nervous and fearful about the safety of our children. Some parents worry so much about the physical safety of their children that it can become an obsession. Or, they can even rob their children of some normal childhood experiences in order to keep them safe.
Plus, if a Christian parent is in a constant state of worry about their children they can become unhealthy themselves. It is better to pray and take action, but not be so wrapped up in worry that it becomes a hindrance to our own spiritual life or the development of our children.
Physical Protection
“Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for blessing me with my children. I pray that you would protect them from harm and danger. Let them be aware of their surroundings and not put themselves in dangerous situations. I ask, that even at their age, they will make wise decisions that will help determine their safety and keep them out of harm’s way.
I pray that you would guide their steps and give them discernment to know when something is not right, or if someone is trying to hurt them. Shield them from the evil one and let your angels encamp around them at all times. I thank you for hearing my prayers on behalf of my children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.“
“We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of the people for whom we pray.” Corrie Ten Boom
Prayers For Your Children Who Are Facing Sickness
Whether it be one of the many bouts of cold and flu or if it is something more serious, as our children begin to grow, it’s very hard to see them go through times of sickness. Let’s model one prayer for some circumstances in which most every child experiences, then we will have a prayer for children who may be suffering from a more serious or long-term illness or disease.
Prayers For Your Children With Cold, Flu, and Other Short term Illness.
“Dear Lord, I thank you for blessing me with this child. You know that they are not feeling well right now and are struggling with some sickness. Lord, I ask you that you will give them relief from this and let them be feeling better and back to normal as quickly as possible. May we have the proper access to any medication that they need and for them to have the appropriate rest in order to recover well from this time of sickness.
I ask that they will be better as soon as possible and that you will strengthen all of us during this temporary time of extra stress and illness. Thank you for Your mercy. Amen.“
Prayer For Your Children With More Serious Illness or Disease
Sometimes we are brought to our knees in a staggering way because our children are experiencing illness or disease that is more serious than we would have imagined. We must hold on to the fact that God loves deeply as we a crying out to Him.
“Dear Lord, if I had a choice we would not want my child to be suffering from this type of illness. This is a burden that I certainly don’t want my son/daughter to have to bear. First, I for the (child’s name)’s mind, emotions, and spiritual well-being through all of this. However, Lord, you know how much our minds are focusing on their physical recovery from this illness that is threatening their body. We know that you do not give sickness and disease, but it is a result of living in a fallen world. We know that you will wipe away every tear from your children one day.
But, Lord we ask that we can wipe away our tears and fears and have a breakthrough and good news about our child’s condition as soon as possible. Please guide the hands of the doctors and every other healthcare worker in our situation and please bring my child back to health as Your will permits. Also, please give me strength, wisdom, and peace as we travel through this time of difficulty. In Jesus’ name, Amen.“
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
Prayers For Your Children – Praying For a Newborn Who is Sick.
If you are a first-time parent, the idea of your newborn baby being sick can be extremely frightening. You may not even know how or what to say when in those circumstances. Just cry out to God in faith, knowing that He is completely in control. He understands the emotions that you are feeling better than yourself. He loves that child even more than you do.
Pray as well as you can, knowing that God understands much deeper than the words that we verbalize or pray to Him silently. He knows the desire of your heart. Some of the things you may want to pray for when a newborn is sick:
– Pray for God’s healing power to be at work in the sick infant’s life.
– Pray for God to give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to the sick baby’s doctors.
– Pray for the Holy Spirit to be present and active with the sick baby through this difficult time.
– Pray for the parents of the sick baby, that they may be given strength and comfort. If you are the parent, pray that you will be strengthened and given peace during this time.
– Pray for the doctors and other medical professionals who may be caring for the newborn.
– Pray that the entire family involved will experience God’s peace, grace, and strength during this difficult time.
– Pray that everyone affected by the situation will trust God for the outcome.
No matter what, always remember that you are not alone in this. God is with you every step of the way. He loves this child. Lean on Him during this time of need, and allow Him to work in and through your life.
Here is an example prayer for you as you pray for your newborn.
“Dear Lord, I ask for your healing power to be at work in the body of our newborn baby. We pray that You will give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to the baby’s doctors as they seek to find the best possible treatment and solution. We ask that Your Holy Spirit would be present and active with our child during this difficult time.
Father, we know that You are a loving Father and that You care for this child even more than we do. We ask for Your power to help us cling to you and trust you for Your presence in our lives during this time of need. We know that You are working behind the scenes on our behalf and we trust in Your goodness. We entrust the well-being of our child to you. You are a good, good Father always.
Thank you, God. Amen.“
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
Prayers For Your Children – School Problems
Prayer For a Child Struggling Academically
“God, I thank you for my child. You know how much I love him/her and I know you love him/her more. I ask that you please let (child’s name) focus in the classroom and pay attention. Help him/her be disciplined enough to put his/her mind on the task at hand. Let me be disciplined to give help when needed with homework, and other things. Help us keep a good flow of information between his/her teachers and me.
Please help us discover if there are any learning disabilities that may be a cause of the difficulties If so, we ask that you open up the pathways for us to get the proper help for (child’s Name). I pray that (child’s name) will become a great learner and come to the knowledge of exactly what he needs to know exactly in your timing. Thank you for loving our child. In Jesus’ name, Amen.“
Prayer For Your Child Being Bullied At School
No parent wants their child to be bullied at school or anywhere else. There are many ways to help your child if they are experiencing this. Sometimes parents will have to intervene with the school. But also we have some encouraging Bible verses about bullying and we hope this prayer will help you as you call out to God.
“Lord, thank you for allowing my child to get an education. But, right now, Lord (child’s name) is being bullied by others. Lord Jesus, you faced the most difficult bullies in the world and you were victorious. Please work this situation out for our child. Let (child’s name) respond with the firmness or gentleness required in this situation.
Give me the wisdom to instruct him/her properly. Please let the educators at school be prompted to see and understand what is going on and intervene when needed. Let me be wise and take any action that is needed to help my child through this difficult season. I pray fervently that my child will not have to go to school in a fearful way. Thank you for loving and helping my child. Amen.“
Prayers For Your Children Who Have Anxiety at School
“Dear Lord, I come to you knowing that children have various types of personalities and that each child is precious to you. I want to lift up my child (name) and ask that you give them peace and calm in their lives. In particular, I pray for You to lessen the amount of anxiety that he/she is feeling at school. We know that You have not given us fearfulness.
However, we know that some children have personalities that are more prone to anxiety in class. Please give my child the confidence that You are with him/her every second of the day regardless of where they are. Give me the wisdom to help my child navigate this difficult time and show me any actions that I should take to help them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.“
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” James 5:13
Prayers For Your Children Who Have Depression or General Anxiety
Let’s talk It’s one thing for a child to experience anxiety at school. That’s not what we want for our child. However, even worse, if a child has entered a real season of clinical depression or general anxiety that he/she is dealing with on a continuing basis.
We will have some deeper conversations about depression and anxiety in other areas of this website. However, let’s talk right now about specifically praying for our children who experience depression or anxiety. Depression and anxiety can attack at almost every stage of life.
However, it starts to be very common in children ages 12-17 as they experience huge changes in their lives and bodies during the middle school and high school grades.
There are many ways to help a child going through depression and/or anxiety. Since our focus on this post is prayer, we will offer this prayer as an example of a prayer that we might use in this circumstance:
“Dear Lord,
I come to you knowing that our children may feel sad or scared for many reasons. I know that some might feel anxious or depressed because of various problems. Lord, I understand that depression and anxiety are no respecters of persons and can come to those who may least expect it.
So, I pray for your peace and contentment for my child. Let them know and experience Your active presence in their life. Let them understand that this doesn’t have to be a lasting condition. They won’t feel this way always. Please show them that.
Please let them know that emotions can lie to us and those emotions do not determine who they are or how they are. Help us show my child that they are loved by many, especially you. Give them an extra portion of Your daily strength and let them take one day at a time knowing you are there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 17:6
Prayers For Your Children Who Have Rebelled or Turned Away From God
When our children get up in their teenage and young adult years many of them will go through a time of rebelling against their family, their God, and faith, or just the world in general. If this is happening to your son or daughter, you certainly will want to lift up prayers to realize that there are many who have walked this path that you are on and if you may have good, strong friends or family who will be able to encourage you during this season.
However, I know that your main goal is for your child to be safe, strong, and actively pursuing the proper things in life. Especially during the teenage years and up to the early twenties we find that to be a very fertile time for our children to pursue a pathway that is not good, proper, or healthy for them. Even if they have been raised well, been taught good values, and you have tried to influence them by having them in church and being a spiritual example to them, they may still have a time of rebellion.
Let’s pray that God will bend their hearts back toward the truth, back to Him and the pathway that they should be walking.
“Dear Heavenly Father, I lift up (child’s name) to you right now. I ask for every bit of power and strength that can be ours right now as we pray for our child. You know, more than anyone, that (child’s name) has strayed from the path that they should take. I don’t think they are seeing Your plan. However, Lord, he/she is seeking something that they are missing whether he/she realizes it or not. As much as I can, I ask you, God, to intervene in this situation with (child’s name).
Please help me to work out any problems, hurt feelings, or animosity between my child and me. Please allow (child’s name) to hear from you and understand Your will for his/her life. If it is through a friend or some other person that comes into their life, please allow my child to receive and understand the message from You that You love (child’s name) so very much and want the best for him/her.
Thank you so much that you love my child and I am trusting that You will work in his/her life. Thank you. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.”
Prayers For Your Children Involved With Substance Abuse of Addiction
When it comes to the prayers for your child, very few times of prayer might be as intense as where you have a child struggling with substance abuse. When it comes at a relatively early age, or actually, any age if we realize that our child has a problem with alcohol or drug abuse, our world can take a significant blow. Countless families know the pain of a child who is involved in abusing alcohol, drugs, and unfortunately, there are those who become chemically dependent on those substances.
Many or most kids are going to experiment with drinking alcohol, many will try things like marijuana and other narcotics as well. It is always a serious topic to deal with. However, there are many situations in which the use of alcohol or recreational drugs is for a short term and the child moves on to adulthood without any type of addiction.
However, for those who begin to have problems with addiction, you must seek help. Seek professional help for substance abuse. The average person or family is not equipped to deal with a family member of any age who is suffering from addiction to alcohol or drugs. We are not experts in this field but have seen it many times through the years of ministry. Don’t try to handle the situation on your own. However, please make sure you find help. Reach out to physicians, and faith-based drug/alcohol treatment facilities if there is a true hardcore addiction. And very importantly pray. The following will give you some prayer examples.
“My dear Heavenly Father,
My heart breaks for my (son/daughter). They are involved in alcohol or drug use in a way that is breaking my heart. I know that they are just looking for peace of mind and happiness that only can come from You. Please hold them close and protect them during this time when it doesn’t seem they are trying to protect themselves. Show them that mind-altering substances are not the pathway to peace and joy. I ask that you work in his/her heart and mind and please bring them away from those substances and close to You.”
For those who have an addiction
“Dear Father,
I come to you as sincere as I know how to give you this plea. I ask that You intervene in a mighty and incredible way with my son/daughter. You know of (child’s name) substance addiction and how devastating this is, or will become if something does not change. Please give me and any other family enough wisdom to handle this in the appropriate way. Please help it be arranged for my son/daughter to get the proper treatment, whether it be inpatient or outpatient. Please let us stop this cycle of abuse before it reaches a more devastating consequence.
May we act as lovingly as possible, but as firmly as we should be, and as quickly as possible. Please protect them until they are treated and come through this tremendous trial. I ask that you work as quickly as possible, Lord, and we ask for your power and the healing of our child. Use every means that you see in Your wisdom to bring (child’s name) away from this harmful addiction and work in his/her life making him/her stronger for the future ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11
Prayers For Your Children As Adults
Well, we recognize that prayers for your children don’t stop when they are grown and/or out on their own and hopefully build a family of their own. Sometimes that’s when they need the most prayer. Pray for them daily and ask that God will draw them to love, worship, and serve Him. To know that God is the center of your adult children’s lives is something not only long for, but to fervently ask God for.
Many of the prayers above can be adapted just a bit to pray for adult children, so we won’t go into prayers for every circumstance they might face.
However, we will give a general prayer here for our adult children. Try to pray for them daily. Let them know that you love them enough to keep praying for them. Remember, at any age, God loves your children tremendously and wants to have a relationship with Him.
“Dear Father,
Thank you for the many years of life that my child has had. I pray that he/she will have many more. Please let them be aware to stay in touch with You and to nourish their spiritual life as they are now on their own.
Please guide and protect his/her family that have or will have and may they have peace in their home. I ask You to put your favor upon my child. Let (child’s name) be successful in how you define success. let he/she be ever aware of Your presence and honor you with his/her life. Remind me to pray for my child/children on a daily basis. Thank You, Lord. Amen.”
Prayers For Our Children – For Salvation
We talked about this in the “Prayers For Our Children – Spiritual Health” section at the top of this post. However, this is so important we will mention it again as we close. There are many parents who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord Savior, however, they have children who have not done so.
This can be tremendously troubling for a parent for their child not to take the gospel and God’s plan of salvation very seriously. You may be from a background that calls it being saved, being born again, trusting Christ, accepting Jesus as your Savior, and other terms. However. it comes down to repenting of your sins, trusting in the fact of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. At certain times in their lives, we can make decisions for them. However, trusting in Jesus is a decision that they must make. Our job is to pray for them and encourage them to do so.
If your child, young or old, hasn’t accepted Christ as their Savior pray that they will come to faith in Jesus as soon as possible. You can’t make a decision for Christ for them, but you surely can pray hard for them. There are many ways to phrase a prayer to God about this. Here is one example of what to pray.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
“I realize that the most important thing for my child’s life is that they have a personal relationship with You. I know that my relationship with you will not secure their eternal future with You. I know that it is an individual choice.
So, Father, I ask that they don’t wait any longer to trust You and receive Jesus as their personal Savior. I ask that You convict their heart that – everyone sins and falls short of what You want (Romans 3:23). Please let my son/daughter turn to You, accept Christ as their personal Savior, and commit their lives to You. Please lay this on the front burner of their heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Conclusion?
There is no conclusion to praying for our children as long as we are on the same planet together. May we never lose the desire to pray for our children until we have a departure to our heavenly home.
These prayers on this page are just stepping stones, guidelines – that hopefully will lead you into even greater times of prayer that God, Himself, will let pour through you as you continue to walk this life on earth with Him.
Also,here is another recommend article that I think you will find helpful – “Scripture Prayers For Your Child” from Megan Allen Ministries.
God’s richest blessings to you as you seek Him in Spirit and Truth asking Him to work in the lives of your children!
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