8 Prayers for Your Child’s Faith
Over the past few weeks, we sent payment for our son’s school tuition. We filled out all the sign-ups for extracurriculars. We stocked the pantry with lunchbox snacks and took stock of his closet to see what still fits his lanky arms and legs. We’ve lingered around the family dinner table so he doesn’t have to go it alone. As a mom and dad, we want to invest all we can to help our son grow, learn, and thrive.
Yet as we look into the future, we know that he needs more than just textbooks and three square meals a day to flourish in his life. He needs to know God as his Savior, Lord, and the Friend who never leaves his side.
But as moms and dads who want to encourage our children’s faith, it can be easy to fall into fear or doubt. We wonder:
How will our child’s faith withstand the culture’s influence?
What if I don’t know how to teach them well?
How will their faith hold up in hard times?
Will my weaknesses blind them to God’s power and strength?
How will they discover that God holds the hope, truth, and wisdom they need for their life?
What if in the end, they turn their back on Jesus and walk away?
We can drift into feeling helpless. Insecure. Worried and overwhelmed.
Yet God offers a gift that changes everything for us as parents: the privilege of prayer. Through prayer we can place our kids in God’s hands. We can bring him our concerns and our dreams, and trust he is working in every detail. Prayer lets us claim God’s power to help and protect, speak and draw our children to himself. Prayer is where hope is found for our children.
As a mom and dad like you, it is our blessing to share these 8 prayers for the faith of your children. May you sense God’s presence as you call upon him for the ones you love.
1. Faith that believes
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Lord,
We have read the Bible stories and spoken the bedtime prayers over our child. Our family has attended church and given to charity in your name. We have taught our child to live by values that align with your Word. Yet only your Spirit can move my child to trust you, believe in you, and love you with a sincere heart.
Help my child to see that faith is more than just facts to learn or rules to follow. Grow a deep certainty that you are real and true. Let them name Jesus as God’s Son who came into this world to save them from our sins. Reveal yourself as the loving Father who responds to their prayers and works in every detail of their life. May my child praise you with a believing heart forever. Amen.
2. Faith that trusts
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. (Psalm 28:7)
Lord,
It’s said that suffering will either weaken our faith or help us to know you even more. I pray that in seasons of trouble and pain, my child will put their trust in you. Teach them the power of prayer. Wrap them in comfort and soothe their fears. Provide for their needs and speak words of hope through your Word. Grow a faith that holds steady through the storms that come their way.
Move my child to run to you at the first sign of trouble. Give them patience to wait for your help. Open their eyes to recognize your faithfulness through their struggles. Let them discover that the darkest night can never overcome the light of your love. Amen.
3. Faith that seeks God’s face
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:11)
Lord,
It’s impossible to navigate this life on our own. Tough decisions leave us confused and unsure. Painful losses bring us down. Wrong choices, failures, and mistakes put a burden of guilt on our backs. Others’ hateful words and actions chip away at our sense of worth. In time, we can lose heart and lose our way.
Be the One my child turns to for wisdom, help, and love every day. Teach them the incredible power of prayer. Use your Word as the guiding compass for their relationships and choices. Keep my child close to you so they know your voice as their loving Shepherd, always. Amen.
4. Faith that discerns the truth
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
Lord,
So many voices will compete for my child’s ear as they grow. Your Word will be dismissed as fiction. What’s good and right will be labeled as wrong. Humble obedience will be met with confusion or criticism. It will take determined faith to hold onto your perfect truth through it all.
Spark an eager curiosity in my child to know your Word more and more as they grow. Give them a discerning mind to recognize any thought or idea that contradicts what you say. Keep them humble and teachable so they’re open to wise advice. Help them to meet opposing viewpoints with kindness, respect, and a courageous spirit to tell of you. Write your enduring Word on their heart. Amen.
5. Faith that surrenders
The Lord remembers us and will bless us: he will bless those who fear the Lord—small and great alike. (Psalm 115:12-13)
Lord,
It’s one thing to know your Word and another to live by what it says. Our hearts are in a tug of war every day between following you and going our own way. Yet it’s through obedience to you that we find peace, purpose, and a life that satisfies.
Grow a faith in my child that’s gladly willing to surrender to your will. When they stand at a crossroads, let them look to you to point their way forward. Give them strength to resist temptation. Move them to love your Word and your ways so they choose what’s right. Take every dream, hope, and passion and align it with your perfect, beautiful plan for their future. May my child commit their life to you forever. Amen.
6. Faith that is humble
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)
Lord,
Thank you for the gift of my child. I love their intelligent mind and creative spirit. Their laughter and sense of humor. Their unique abilities and the special way they look at the world around them. My child is wonderful in too many ways to count.
Open my child’s eyes to see how each of their traits and talents can be used for the good of others. Give them a humble spirit that’s happy to care and serve. Teach them how to use their words to build up instead of tearing down. Let them hold a quiet confidence that can celebrate others’ wins and accept their own defeats. Make my child a peacemaker who makes others feel seen, valued, and welcome in the room. Fill them with the servant heart of Christ as they grow. Amen.
7. Faith that loves
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:17-18)
It only takes one thoughtless word to make my child feel small or unwanted. Failures and mistakes can crush their sense of worth. Sinful choices can burden them with guilt and fear of rejection. My child needs your Spirit to give assurance that your love is with them, always.
Give my child an unshakeable faith in your constant love. Protect them from the enemy’s lies that say they have to work to earn your attention and mercy. Be the One they run to when they need help, forgiveness, or simply a Friend. May they find their hope and their identity in knowing they are yours forever.
As my child embraces your love, use them to share your love with those around them. Grow them into a person whose kindness, generosity, and compassion shine your light in this world. Amen.
8. Faith that celebrates
I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:6)
Lord,
When our problems loom large, it can be difficult to see past the pain to the good all around us. We grow discouraged. Negative. Hopeless. Fearful that that the sun will never shine again. We slip into complaining instead of counting the blessings from your hand. Yet the more we praise, the more your joy fills our lives.
Fill my child with a spirit of thanks. Grow their resilience to press through difficult days and believe you hold good things in store. Keep them content instead of striving after things that can never satisfy their soul. Guard my child’s spirit from depression or despair. Let them take delight in your beautiful creation, the closeness of family and friends, and your constant love. Put a song of praise in their heart that worships you every day. Amen.
Establishing a regular practice of prayer for your family is so powerful. Not only does it support your child through whatever challenges they may be facing, but it also allows you to lead by example and show them the power of consistent, intentional prayer.
Prayer is also healing for you as a parent, because reminds you that you’re not in this alone. The Lord is here to walk alongside you and your child through both the joyful seasons and the hard valleys of life.
And you don’t have to pray alone, either. It would be our honor to pray for you and your child by name. We know firsthand how difficult some seasons of parenting can be, and we’ve felt the impact of what can happen when your faith community steps up to pray with you.
Perhaps your child is having trouble making friends at school, and you pray every day that they’ll walk through the door with a smile. Maybe you’re at your wit’s end because every time you think they’ve broken an unhealthy pattern, they make another poor choice. Or perhaps your child no longer seems interested in attending church, and you’re struggling with how to encourage their faith without making Sunday mornings a battle.
Whatever situation is currently making your heart ache—with hurt, hope, or both—we would love to help you pray about it. Use the button below to submit a prayer request, and share as much or as little detail as you’d like.
