God gave us His word and He wants us to pray. When you combine the two spiritual disciplines of reading Scripture and prayer, it will help you apply God’s word to your family while growing deeper in your prayer life.
Sometimes it’s easy to pray for your children because you know what their needs are, and sometimes you don’t know what to pray for. Using Scripture to pray over your children can help you focus your prayers on things you know God has promised.
We tend to pray for things we want. But by praying Scripture, we help align our desires with God’s. And when our desires are aligned with His, we’re more likely to see God move powerfully in our prayers. Also, praying Scripture honors God by using His words to praise Him and pray to Him.
When you pray Scripture, you can pray God’s promises, and claim them as your own. Using those Scriptures as you pray over your children provides you with promises you know God wants for their life.
Put your child’s name into the promise and change the pronouns to match and pray that as a promise specifically for your child. You can claim these promises and pray over your children, or you can speak these promises and blessings over your children.
Here are 4 Examples of Scripture to Pray Over Your Kids:
- Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Dear God, help (child’s name) to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and help them to live righteously, so that You will give them everything they need.
- Mark 12:30, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
Heavenly Father, strengthen (child’s name) to love You with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength.
- Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Lord God, remind (child’s name) to not worry about anything, but instead pray about everything. That they would tell You what they need and thank you for what You’ve done. Help them experience Your peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. May Your peace guard their heart and mind as they live in You.
- Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”
Dear Father, strengthen (child’s name) to mature and grow the way Jesus did as a child…mentally, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
