I remember sitting in the church nursery nursing my firstborn. Another mom and I were visiting as we rocked and nursed our little ones. “Are you praying for her future spouse?” the other mom asked me. I was surprised by her question. I had never thought to be praying for her future spouse at this stage of the game!

That conversation introduced me to prayer in a different way than I’d ever experienced or considered. It spurred me on to lift up my kids in prayer on a regular basis.

Even today as an empty nester, prayer is one of the most important ways I can love my kids and their families. In fact, in my Empty Nest Full Life book I talk about how moms of adult kids have to learn how to “Pray, not say!”

Prayer changes things. Sometimes it changes our heart. Sometimes it changes circumstances. Always it connects us to our good and loving Father. God is available and listening to us, and He desires to hear from us. (I recently talked about this with Sally Burke, the President of Moms In Prayer, on the No More Perfect Podcast. If you want to learn how to be a praying mom you can listen to that episode here!)

In Mark 13:31, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” The Bible is God’s Word. Put simply, it contains God’s words to us. These are eternal truths that will never pass away.

So when it comes to praying for my children, one of my favorite things to do is use God’s words for some of those prayers. There are so many ways you can do this, but today I want to share 10 examples of how you can use Scripture to pray for your children. In each blank, you can insert your child’s name.

(This list is excerpted from my No More Perfect Kids: Love Your Kids for Who They Are book.  Grab your copy here!)

Pray that your child…

Will be saved

And give _____________ one heart [a new heart] and put a new spirit within him/her; and take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of his/her flesh, and give him/her a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of his/her God]. (Adapted from Ezekiel 11:19 AMP)

Will return to the Lord

May the Lord give ________ a new heart and put a new spirit in ________; may He remove ________ ’s heart of stone and give ________ a heart of flesh. (Adapted from Ezekiel 36:26)

Will have courage in difficult tasks

That________ will be strong and courageous, and do the work. That he/she won’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, his/her God, is with _______. Lord, You will not fail _______ or forsake him/her. You will see to it that all the work . . . of the Lord is finished correctly. (Adapted from 1 Chronicles 28:20 NLT)

Will walk in faithfulness and devotion

Remember, Lord, how ________ has walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and has done what is good in your eyes. (Adapted from Isaiah 38:3)

Will not give up

Let ________ not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time he/she will reap a harvest if he/she does not give up. (Adapted from Galatians 6:9)

Will have a gentle spirit

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, may ________ clothe himself/herself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Adapted from Colossians 3:12)

Will stand firm

That ________ may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Adapted from Colossians 4:12)

Will be a peacemaker

May ________ be a peacemaker who plants seeds of peace and reaps a harvest of righteousness. (Adapted from James 3:18 NLT)

Will submit to God and resist the devil

May ________ submit himself/herself, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from _______. (Adapted from James 4:7)

Will not be fearful

So ________, be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of ______. He will neither fail him/her nor abandon him/her. (Adapted from Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)

These are just the beginning of some verses you can pray over your child! What would you add? Are there any special ways you pray Scripture over your children?

 

Want regular encouragement?

Subscribe to get Jill's latest content by email.


(You can view our privacy policy here.)

Powered by ConvertKit