The Bible tells us to train our children up in the way they should go, but how do we put that admonition into practice?

One way of helping them find their proper path is to pray God’s Word for them. Prayer is not only practical but a powerful  thing we can do as parents. In this post, we will discuss some practical ways we can identify prayer points for our children.

How to Pray the Scriptures for Your Children

Identify Where Your Children Struggle

If you have a child who has trouble, for example, controlling his or her temper, you can look up verses that relate to that issue. Try to look past the symptoms to the heart of the issue, perhaps, if your child generally feels hurt over something before lashing out in anger.

You could pick a verse like James 1:19-20 and pray to God using this verse. You could pray this way as an example: “Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that my child would be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. We know your Word says that human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires, and I ask that you would produce a peaceable heart in my child that will be pleasing to you.” 

Be sure to check this post for my favorite Scriptures to pray for your children.

Identify Hopes and Dreams

In your prayer journal, you can write down key areas in which your child excels. If your son or daughter is good at sports and is physically athletic, you can find verses that speak to the benefits of a healthy body. Proverbs 31:17 speaks to the need for ladies to be strong and build strength.

We can use this verse as a prayer for our children, asking God to bless their bodies and to help them be able to do all that God has designed for them to do. If your child is a creative person, you can ask God to bless their creativity by praying Exodus 31:3. 

Identify Temptations

Our children are not all alike, and there can be specific pitfalls that present more of a challenge to each individual child. Some children are more prone to fall prey to peer pressure, and others are more likely to act out and to rebel. Others still might have a tendency to use bad language despite having been taught otherwise.

Tailor your Scripture verses to the temptations you are most concerned about, praying that God would protect your child’s heart – the place all sin starts. You can start a prayer by reciting Jeremiah 17:9 about the treachery of the heart and pray the specific verses that deal with temptations you wish God to guard your child against. You can finish by praying Matthew 6:13 with regard to your little one.

Pray for His or Her Salvation

The most important decision your child will ever make is to be saved, and this is the heart of every mother’s prayer. As the parent, you are setting the example of what a godly home should look like in an effort to saturate your child’s heart and mind with God’s Word so that one day he or she will receive Jesus Christ as savior.

Acts 16:31 is a powerful verse on the simplicity of salvation, and ask God that this would be true for your child. Acknowledge Ephesians 2:8 to the Lord, and ask Him that He would give the gift of faith to your child so he or she can be eternally saved.

Pray for Courage

Whether your child attends public school, private school, or is homeschooled, he or she will face obstacles that can make him or her feel afraid. There is a great deal of pressure to decide what life course to take, an emphasis on getting good grades, and fitting in with others that can all feel insurmountable at times.

Two appropriate Scriptures for a parent’s prayer for children are Joshua 1:9 and Isaiah 43:2. Ask God to watch over them and to allow their heart to trust in Him for their ultimate protection. You can ask for specific provision according to the things your child may facing, like difficult course work or going to a new school. 

Grab these FREE Scripture prayer cards to help you pray for your kids:

Pray for Uplifting Relationships

The relationships in a family are important. We can pray for kids as they interact with us, and with siblings. Mothers can build their relationships with their daughters using our 7-day mother-daughter prayer challenge based on the Priceless movie.

Your child’s formative years also provide a unique opportunity for him or her to learn about others and how to engage in friendships with others. This period of time cannot be discounted, as it is when so many of us form relationships that often will last a lifetime. There are Scriptures you can pray over your child’s life, such as Proverbs 13:20 that God would bring wise friends into your children’s lives. 

Pray Hebrews 10:24-25, focusing on the aspects of friendship that you hope would be present in your children’s attachments. Pray that they spur one another on in love and good deeds, to be faithful in church attendance and to be holy in everything they do. Ask God to send children with a heart toward worshiping Him into your child’s life, so he or she can be encouraged all the more as the day draws ever closer.

For more scriptures to pray, check out

These Scripture prayer cards and

These 12 Scriptures to Daily Pray for Your Kids as well as

These 5 War Room Prayers to Pray for Your Children

Before you go, be sure to grab our FREE Scripture Prayer Cards below!

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