Frustrated, exhausted, and on my knees, I asked God to give me patience to raise my 5 and 6 year old daughters. It had been a hard day. What made it worse, was the fatigue and nausea from being pregnant with baby number 3. With my finger firmly placed on Ezekiel 36:26, I claimed the promise that says: “I will give you a new heart.”
“Lord, I need this new heart. My children need this. I have failed in so many ways. Show me that your words are true. Do something!”
Thankfully, God came through.
I’ve repeated these kinds of prayers multiple times. In my darkest moments and biggest failures, God has shown up. He’s been there for me when the best parenting advice falls short, when I can’t seem to model patience, or when my own emotions run so high that I say things I regret.
Prayer and scripture combined has been the key to building a solid faith during my most trying struggles.
I wonder if you’ve been in a similar situation? In a humble effort to encourage you along the way, I’ll quickly bullet point some simple ways to pray for your children. There really are so many creative ways, but the most basic way is to meditate on a Bible passage and ask God to fulfill His word on behalf of your children or whoever it is you’re praying for. So simple, not complicated, and very easy to do. Here are some ideas:
1. Prayers about Character
The idea here is to identify the character traits you want to see in your child and find scripture that highlight that trait. For example, If you want to see more resilience or “grit”, claim Hebrews 12:1,2 which encourages us to endure.
If you want to see God increase their gifts and talents, meditate on Dan 1:17 and ask God to bless your child the way He blessed Daniel.
Whatever it is, the Bible has something relevant for you to meditate on regarding your children, yourself, or your situation.
2. Proverbs Birthday Prayers
This is a very consistent and easy way to pray for your child. What you do is pray the themes in a Proverbs chapter based on the day your child was born. For example, my son’s May 3 birthday means I would pray the themes found in Proverbs 3.
Yesterday, as I meditated on this passage, I noticed that the phrase “My son” is repeated three times. Each time it’s mentioned, it has to do with how important it is to follow the instructions of the parent, for doing so leads to a peaceful life. So on that day, I prayed that God would give my son a teachable spirit to listen to my instructions and follow them all the days of his life. Throughout the day, I remembered the ideas in the passage.
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you. (Proverbs 3:1)
3. Prayers from Well-Known Passages
Any well-known passage or any scripture can be used as a prayer. The whole Bible provides limitless possibilites of what we can pray for. Here are some examples of passages you can meditate on and then pray over your children.
- 1 Corinthians 13-The Love Chapter
- Matthew 5- The Beatitudes
- Ephesians 6:10-18- The Armor of God
- Psalms 23- God Our Shepherd
- 2 Peter 1:5-8- Peter’s Ladder of Faith
- Proverbs 4- Security in Wisdom
- 1 Thess 4:3-5- Sexual Purity Passage
4. Journal Prayers
Some people like to pray silently, some people like to pray aloud with sobs. Then there are people, like me, that enjoy the process of writing prayers down in a journal. Praying for your children in this way can be so powerful.
There’s something so sacred about writing with pen on paper. It feels amazing and it embeds the prayers in your mind even more. The cool thing about this way of praying, is that you can go back and read what you’ve prayed and make a note of when God answered the prayer. As you can see, the possibilities of what and how to pray are endless.
What’s Most Important
Some parents who lean towards perfectionism may be tempted to approach this as a checklist or see it as formulaic. Others may write it off as ineffective and powerless. But, what’s most important is that our prayers are heartfelt and full of faith. We must trust that God has the power to fulfill His Word.
If we pay attention, we’ll see evidence of Him working. We’ll know God is moving when we see prayer changing us instead of it only changing our children. We’ll know God is moving when we can see that our children start to manifest the character of Jesus. We’ll know God is moving when they show an unprompted interest and desire for spiritual things. That’s what I saw happen the next morning after I had prayed fervently for my kids.
God Shows Up
The morning after I claimed Ezekiel 36:26, a beautiful thing happened. My girls woke up singing praises to God on their bed. It was something they had never done before.
As I listened to their made-up gospel tunes, I immediately knew God was telling me that He heard my prayer. At that moment I was assured, God would provide me with all I needed for the challenges that lay ahead. I knew that if he heard my prayer then, He would definitely do it again!
Do you all have a special way that you pray for your children, grandchildren, nephews or nieces? If so, please share!