12 Powerful Verses to Pray Over Our Children {with free printable}

Taking the time to pray for your children every day is one of the most powerful acts of love you can do for them.

I would never have guessed what parenting would do for my prayer life.

My pre-conceived notion was that parenting was about making peanut butter sandwiches and tucking kids into bed at night. About kissing boo-boos and reminding them to close the front door. And mostly about being kind to others and learning to love God.

About loving, correcting, supporting, cheering, and then loving them some more.

But I can see now that parenting is also a whole lot about prayer.

And for a while there I thought it was just me. You know, like I wasn’t doing enough right or I wasn’t quite enough or…..something.

That I found myself so often throwing myself down on my knees. Calling out to God.

With a heart-cry to keep our kids safe – and hopefully thriving-  in this world we find ourselves living in.

But I was recently talking with a dear friend of mine who also happens to be a seasoned parent—and a really good parent too.

She mentioned to me that she relies more on prayer now than ever before.

And I confess that I was glad to hear it.

So whether you’re a “seasoned” parent or a brand-new fresh one, let me encourage you that your prayers will have a powerful impact on your children – both now and for the rest of their lives.

You’ll find that some of your best parenting happens when you’re humbly bent down on your knees. 

12 Powerful Verses to Pray and Over Your Children

1.   Strength

Pray that God gives them the strength to do what they need to do each day.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13

2.   Courage

Pray that they will be brave as they face the challenges that are before them.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9

3.   Peace

Ask that their hearts will be calm and peaceful as they go through their day and in their sleep at night.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

4.   Provision

Ask God to provide for all that they need – for stamina, spirit, and finances – for each day.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:19

5.   Direction

Pray that the Lord will lead them as they begin to make more and more decisions as they get older.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

6.   Protection

Ask that God keeps them safe in this increasingly unsafe world. That He will protect them from harm and wickedness.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:1-2

7.   Joy

Pray that God fills them with the kind of joy that can only come from Him.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ~ Psalm 16:11

8.   Compassion

Pray that they will show compassion on those in need and who have less than they do.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32

9.   Justice

Ask God to give them a sense of justice – to stand up for what is right and to defend the weak.

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. ~ Isaiah 1:17

10.   Wisdom

Pray that they will grow in wisdom and understanding. That they’ll be more than “smart” and embrace what is good and right.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ~ James 1:5

11.   Hope

Ask God to give them the hope that comes from above – the kind that far exceeds what we have in the here and now.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~ Romans 15:13

12.   Love

Pray that our children are filled with the love of God. That they will know how deeply they are loved, and that love will overflow onto others.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. ~ 2 Corinthians 13

Want to hear one more unexpected blessing of praying these things for our children? We can pray the same requests for ourselves.

So, as I go over these verses, I remind myself that they are true for me too.

Download the free printable here: 12 Powerful Verses to Pray for Our Children

In His grace,

Lisa Jacobson

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