Praying for children is an act of great love. When we pray, we relinquish control, and then we can release them to God. In raising a child, there are many things we don’t have control over. And we have to be ok with that.

Prayer empowers us to parent better.

When we quieten ourselves and take time out to pray, we can bring our concerns, our hopes, and requests to God. I can bless my children by praying for them. Sometimes my love for my children threatens to overwhelm me. The emotions become so intense that I’m not quite sure what to do with them – and its in those moments that I can turn to God to cry out to Him for the lives of our young ones.

And prayer has more than just spiritual benefits. It has a few physical ones too, such as lowering the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, it also reduces blood pressure, and improves immune functioning. When we learn to quieten ourselves, we change from the inside out and become better parents too.

Love multiplies

Becoming a mom caught me by surprise. I never expected to be able to love someone so intensely yet the love seems to grow. When I was pregnant with my second child, I remember thinking, how would I be able to love this child so thoroughly and completely without taking away any love from my firstborn. And, at that moment when I held Emily in my arms for the first time, I was struck with this realization: Love multiplies

Love grows, and love expands to make room.

Because love expands, that is how I can love my husband and my two children so thoroughly. 100% love poured out for each one.

Love grows when we pray.

Prayer takes our eyes off ourselves and places them onto God, trusting Him to show us how to love, and raise this precious life entrusted to us for a season. Many moms tell me that they are so afraid of dying or of losing one of their children. Specifically, they explain that this fear holds them captive and leads them down a path of despair.

Surely, it is in those moments of prayer that we can release our children to God, knowing that He loves them far more than we do (and that’s a lot). Consequently, we can place our trust in Him. Like the Psalmist says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” He gives us help when we want to cling onto our children and never let them go.

Therefore, no matter their age – whether they are still your tummy or about to leave home, you can pray for them through life’s ups and downs. You can pray for their education, their character development, their friends and their future.

There are many ways to pray, from conversation prayer to written prayers to praying scriptures and in the Holy Spirit as a loving parent pray lively, honest, soul-searching prayers.

Pray from your heart for the child of your heart.

Four ways to pray for your son or daughter, grandchild or adopted or God-child:

Number One

Pray grace-filled prayers – words filled with God’s empowering ability and grace. Pray with understanding, tenderness, and compassion.

Number Two

Let your prayers rise to heaven with faith-filled words – Faith-filled words are words that stir your soul and spirit. Speak words of faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and filling your mind with the words of God.  Use Scripture as a means to pray for your children.

Number Three

Fire them up with hope-fuelled prayers – Hope anchors our soul. Hope keeps us steady and holds us on course. As a mother, I need to ensure that hope fuels my prayers.  Hope is also future focused.  Grab hold of hope and don’t let go.  Don’t allow your emotions to rob you of your joy and hope when you pray for your children.

Number Four

Be encouraged to pray out of the pit of despair and into praise – Our children will go through hard times as will we. Praise and thanksgiving are known to lift one’s spirits. If we are to cultivate a heart of gratitude, we can be sure that it will lift us out of the pit of despair. When our children or we go through trials, thanksgiving and praise are two keys that will encourage us to pray and intercede. Hold one in each hand and don’t let them go.

Learn to practice appreciation and remember happy times and moments with your children. These will lift you out of despair and into hope.
“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties,” wrote Oswald Chambers many years ago.

Because prayer is so dear to my heart, I’ve crafted this FREE Monthly Prayer Calendar for you to print out and enjoy. When you become a mother or father, 24/7/365 is the only shift you receive. Pray persistently and pray consistently. Focus on praying these Scriptures and attributes over your family during the month.

If you enjoyed this post, please would you share it with your friends and family? Together we can encourage more and more families to be praying for their children?

What would you add as the #5 way to pray for your children? Let me know in the comments below!