As a parent, most of my prayer life is consumed with prayers for my children. Whether I am wrapping them up in a hug or rocking them to sleep, I am whispering a prayer to the Lord for them. Throughout my day I am throwing prayers towards my ceilings that go into the ears of my Lord to help me get through the day.
Prayers of gratitude.
Prayers of anguish.
Prayers of wonder.
Prayers of petitions.
Prayers of requests.
Prayers of peace.
Sometimes though I wonder what to pray for. I thank God for my children and that they are healthy but how can I go beyond that? During 21 days of prayer and fasting in January 2025, God laid some prayers on my heart that I could speak out for my children. But I couldn’t keep them to myself. Here are five prayers that we can pray over our children at any age of life.
Lord, encourage their hearts to learn more about You but also know You personally.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24)
As I pray for their own personal walk, I pray this scripture over them. I pray that their walk with God is personal. I want it to be their own. I pray that they have such an intimate relationship with God that He can fully search their hearts and know their anxious thoughts. I pray they are in tune with the Holy Spirit and that God can speak freely to them. I pray their relationship with God is so intimate and on the path that He has given them - no one else.
Lord, show them their purpose within Your Kingdom.
We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
My kids will have plans for their life. I mean honestly, I have plans for their life! We all dream and plan but overall, the Lord has a plan that should always prevail. I pray that my children see their purpose within God’s Kingdom and it isn’t necessarily what they do or who they are but how they let the Lord shine through them. At the end of the day, our purpose within the Kingdom is to be more like Him by loving Him and communing with Him then loving others. I pray that while they may make big or small plans, they align them with the Lord and search for His purpose first.
Lord, prepare a spouse for them that loves You first so they can love my child well.
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. (Genesis 2:24)
One day my kids won’t be my responsibility. They will spread their wings and go into this world God chose them for. They will always be mine. I will always be there for them. I will always have my arms wide open to come home- especially for a home cooked dinner. Whether they leave their home with us for the military, a job, school or a spouse I do mostly pray for their spouse. I won’t always be the authoritative and leading voice in my children’s ears alongside my husband. We will give away both of our children one day to their spouse so every time I can think of it, I pray for their future spouse. I pray that their spouse loves the Lord FIRST then loves them deeply. I pray that they will have a united marriage. I pray that they love and serve the Lord with their whole hearts. (And I pray that they always come to us for advice!)
Lord, help them to be a good friend to all.
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
I know this one is hard but I truly believe that kids should be good friends. Every morning when I drop my daughter off at school I tell her that I love her and to be like Jesus and be a good friend. There is too much ugly in the world for our kids to be ugly too. The Lord commands us to love others. There is nothing greater that we can do besides loving God and loving people. We need to encourage our children to be good friends, even when it is hard.
Lord, help me to be the light of Jesus to them within our home.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16)
This one is so hard because I feel like our kids do sometimes see the worst of us. We get overstimulated and exhausted but I do pray that I am a light to my children. I pray that they can see His love and how I serve Him in what I do. I pray they see His grace when I fall short. I might not always get it right but the Lord chose me to be their mama and as I pray to Him to transform me in motherhood, the promises won’t come back void.
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