Scriptures to Pray
All this week I have been praying for your kids. I’ve taken their names and walked along the lanes surrounding Firwood Cottage, asking the Father to bless and strengthen, protect and grow these children into great men and women of God.
And sometimes I’ve felt that barely perceptible nudge to pray specifically: that Violet and Hazel will be best friends their whole lives, that Isaac will be one who clings to God, leading others to do the same. That Josiah will find God to be his strength in Middle School.
There isn’t any discipline required in this kind of prayer. At least not for parents— our eyes are wide open to the world we live in and some days we can almost hear Satan’s prowling.
We pray, not because we’re disciplined, but out of desperation and deep desire.
This week I also rummaged through my journals for Scriptures I prayed over and for my kids. These are stories and verses and passages that seemed to stand out like beacons as I read my Bible in the early mornings while carrying my burdens for my children to the Lord.
Scriptures To Pray Over Your Kids
When they are very young:
“Yet you have brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust You when I was a nursing infant.”
“I was thrust upon You at birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.”
These two Scriptures I prayed over my bulging pregnant belly. And in those early morning hours as I nursed my infants, these words became a song.
“I created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”
When my babies needed me in the middle of the night, this is the Scripture I paced the floor and prayed. Over and over and over again. And this is what I still pray over my kids and now our Grands.
When they are old enough to listen and understand:
“So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.”
I prayed that I would be faithful to do the teaching even when it seemed I could barely keep my head above water. Then I prayed that our four would listen and hear and choose to follow Jesus.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. ”
Desire is so essential to our continued walk with God that this seemed the best way to pray for my children’s hearts. I asked God to give my kids a burning desire to please Him— not just for my approval, but out of deep desire.
For those middle years between the sweet innocence of childhood into the maturity of youth:
“For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.”
Middle School is the epicenter of a hurricane of emotions, hormones, temptations, and impulsiveness. Yet I know that oak trees become stronger through storms. I prayed that God would use us, empowered by His Spirit, to sink their roots deep into God’s love when the winds seemed overwhelming.
For those teenage and college years:
“And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling and who will bring you into His glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. Our lives are in His hands, and He keeps our feet from stumbling.”
This is how I prayed my kids through public high school and all the vulnerabilities they brought with them as they walked those halls— staying both in the world and apart from temptation.
When I couldn’t be there to make their choices for them, I asked the Father to keep their feet from those stumbles that could hobble them for the rest of their lives.
For every day of their lives:
“ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
This is my all time favorite Scripture to pray for myself and for my family. My prayer is that each of us would live in that love, relishing His love, defining ourselves by the truth of what He tells us.
This, I have come to believe, is the key to continuing with Christ. The way into the intimacy our souls long for. This is what I want for my kids, and for yours too.
Thank you for inviting me in to pray for your children. I am honored and humbled as I lift their names to the Father.
From my heart,
Diane