Raising children is hard work. (I’m a mother of three, I know!)
But if we love our children at all (which I assume we all do), we just have to gird up our parental loins and get the job done.
One very important aspect of parenting is the need for God in it all. We can’t raise children on our own. This journey takes strength, wisdom and strategies we cannot always find in ourselves. We need Divine help.
While we are supplying biblical resources for our children, prayer is a powerful spiritual tool that invites God’s supernatural power to assist us.
So here are 9 prayers you can pray fervently and diligently for your children starting TODAY!
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Prayer for Salvation
I start with this one as the priority. I cannot think of any more noble or necessary desire we can have for our children.
It is said that every parent wants what’s best for his child. Typically, though (and unfortunately) the “best” looks like a good education, top notch colleges, a good job and pretty much vanity.
I’m not one of those moms who will celebrate all the other accomplishments of my child while knowing they are not right with God.
Life is too serious and eternity is too real for this to be way down on my list. So here’s a prayer I like to pray for the salvation of my children:
Lord, touch the hearts of my children. Convict them of their sins and reveal Yourself to them as their Saviour. Let them be numbered among those who are obedient to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, and grant that their names be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Prayer to Receive the Holy Ghost
As part of their salvation walk, I want my children to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. It is not only a beautiful experience, but it is also a means of empowerment and enrichment.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit will help my children pray better, understand the things of God better, and worship more deeply. I don’t want them to just be saved – I want their walk with God to be as supercharged as it can get. So, here’s my prayer for my children to receive the Holy Ghost:
Lord, pour out Your Spirit on my children. Give them the Holy Ghost and all the blessings He comes with. Let them know His leading and live in His empowerment. Break down every barrier that would hinder them from experiencing You in this way.
Prayer to Grow in God
God wants all believers is to attain spiritual maturity.
That goes for children too!
Too often we assume that growing in God is for adults. On the contrary, children can, and need to demonstrate that they are growing in their relationship with their heavenly Father.
That doesn’t mean they will lose their childlike playfulness, but there should be growth in their understanding of who God is, how to serve Him, how to crucify their flesh, and how to resist the Devil.
Here’s a prayer I like to pray for the spiritual growth of my children:
Lord, according to Your word in 2 Peter 3:18, I ask that my children grow in grace and in the knowledge of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Prayer for Wisdom
According to Proverbs 4:7, wisdom is the principal thing.
Wisdom is important for making decisions that will often have long-term effects.
Think about how much wisdom it takes for you and me to navigate through our lives. (And think about how much wisdom you wish you had when you were younger!)
I don’t want my children to look back on their growing years with embarrassment or regret. If they can be armed with this great gift, then their future will be sweeter.
Here’s one of my prayers for my children to have wisdom:
Lord, teach my children in the way of wisdom, and lead them in right paths. Let them incline their ears unto wisdom, and cause wisdom to enter their hearts.
Prayer to Know God’s Voice
In a world of false prophets, false churches, false Christs, and even false Bibles, it is important for everyone to know God’s voice. And believe it or not, this is a most important thing even for children.
The Devil does not have a soft spot for children.
He doesn’t think they are cute.
He is determined to destroy them (as he is any other age group!) That’s why I’m praying that my children will be able to discern the voice of God and to distinguish it from deceptive voices.
Here’s what this prayer may sound like:
Lord Jesus, let my children know Your voice, and let them not follow the voices of strangers.
Prayer for Physical Protection
I believe that some prayers have to be specific sometimes. We can’t always pray a general prayer and get the specific coverage that we desire.
As a result of this conviction, I pray for the physical protection and safety of my children from time to time.
Let’s not be naive – it’s a real world, with real possibilities and I want to make sure that I invite God into every area of my children’s lives.
I might pray something like this:
Lord Jesus, may Your Divine coverage of protection be upon my children. I close all doors and fly all traps of the enemy that are against their safety and physical well-being.
Prayer to Abide in Christ
For those of us who have walked with the Lord for some time, we know what the challenges of this walk can look like. We have either backslidden personally or have seen others walk away from the faith.
Although God is merciful and is a restorer, backsliding never does us any good. God will probably bring us back to square one, but when you look at it, straying from God never truly moves us forward.
I don’t want that to happen to my children, and I’m doing my part to help prevent that.
I pray a prayer like this:
Lord, help my children to see the value and wisdom to abide in You. Help them to fear You enough to stay with You no matter how difficult their walk with You may get.
Prayer for Purposeful Education
As a homeschooling parent, it is easy to get caught up in having our children do all the things. Within only a few weeks of starting fulltime homeschooling, we dropped learning the Hebrew language and playing the recorder.
And it’s OK!
I don’t want to be guilty of packing my children’s schedules and days with activities which aren’t relevant to their purpose. I want their education to be orchestrated by the God who made them and who has a plan for them.
Of course my children are mine, but not in the sense of being for me. Rather, it is that they are mine to be stewarded in the will of God. When it comes to their education, I’m not interested in stuffing them into any mold.
This is the kind of prayer I pray for my children’s education:
Lord, I give my children to You. Let Your will be done in their education and in their career paths. Give them the boldness to yield to Your calling for their lives as You lead them.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get discouraged when praying for your children, and when raising them in the fear of the Lord. But here’s hoping that through this article, you will be stirred (or revived) to pray for your children!
What’s a special prayer you have on your heart for your children? Share it in the comments!