Prayers parents can pray for their kids

As Christian moms and dads, we have a responsibility to our children in so many ways from teaching them and caring for them to praying for them. In fact, prayers for your children is one of the most important tools you have as a parent.

When I was pregnant with each of my children, I prayed for them. Now that they are here, I continue to pray for them. As a mom, in fact, I pray for my children more than I pray for myself. And I think that’s OK. God has blessed me with these children and I want to honor Him in raising them.

But sometimes, I can get a bit stuck in a prayer rut. I can find myself praying for my kids in the same ways or about immediate needs of theirs. However, I want to be intentional about praying for all aspects of their lives and their futures.

So, I decided to start with two weeks of prayers for school children. And I’d love for you to join me on this journey of intentional prayers for your children over the next couple of weeks (or however long it takes you). Just a short prayer a day can make a big difference to help your children stay on the right path.

What the Bible says about prayer

Even before we get into the actual powerful prayers for our kids, I would be remiss if I didn’t start with the Word of God. In the Bible verses about prayer I looked up before writing this post, some verses in Jeremiah stuck out to me. 

Many Christians are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, which says in the NIV, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

I love God’s promise to secure our futures as His children. I love it even more to know He’ll secure the future of my own children. But, the two verses that follow this one really jumped out to me.

God doesn’t just have a plan for our future and our children’s future, but He also listens to us and makes Himself available to us when we seek Him. It’s with that in mind that I want to enter into this collection of prayers for our children.

Prayers for school children

As we continue with specific prayers for school children, may we devote ourselves to daily prayer, be watchful and be thankful that God is working all the time. The power of prayer is strong and these special  prayers cover our children whether they are in public school, private school or homeschool.

A prayer for our children’s day

Father, I ask that you be with my children as they go throughout their day today. Lord, watch over and protect them in every way everywhere that they are. Surround them with Godly influences. Help them to have the strength they need for anything and everything they may face today. Give them courage to stand up for you and stay strong in their faith. Remind them of your goodness and presence throughout the day. Help them to conquer their challenges and count their blessings. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s friends

Lord God, be with my children and their friendships. Help them to find the Godly friends who will be good influences on them. Lead them to a good friend who loves and serves you. Father, let your Holy Spirit be at work in their relationship with their new friends and current friends. And if there is a friend in their life they need to move away from, give them clarity of mind. Bless them with good friends who will uplift them, encourage them to do the right thing, make them laugh and be good for them. Protect their friends and help them to know you even better. Give them strength to resist peer pressure and stand up for their beliefs. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s teachers

Dear God, I ask that you guide my children’s teachers. Even if they don’t know you, Lord, help them to be a good influence on my children. Bless my children with teachers who have integrity and are knowledgeable about their subjects. Help their teachers to understand what my children need and help them to meet those needs in a safe place as my kids grow and learn. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s faith

Heavenly Father, help my children to know you more completely and fully. Give them a heart of wisdom to truly understand what it means to have a personal relationship with you and walk in confidence and faith with you as they go through life and encounter difficult situations. Father, help them to not remember a time they haven’t known about you. Grow their relationship with you. Soften my children’s hearts and open their minds to all you have to teach them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s future spouse

Father, guide my children to the right spouse at the right time for them. And, Lord, I ask that you be with their future spouse now. Surround that person with good, Godly influences and help them to come to know you as personal Savior early on in their life. Protect their hearts and minds in every way so they are whole and ready when they meet my children. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s wisdom & discernment

Dear Jesus, I ask that you be with my children and give them the wisdom and discernment they need. Help them to know your will and the path you have for their lives. Father, help them to identify and turn away from any person or other influence who draws them away from you. Show them the better way you have for them. Protect them as they grow and learn. Surround them with people who encourage them in their walk with you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s spiritual protection

Father, protect my children spiritually. Remove any spirit tempting them. In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke the hold of Satan around my children in the name of Jesus. Strengthen them and protect them from spiritual attacks. Lord, help them to know they can always run to you and you will keep them safe. Keep them from those who want to draw them away from their walk with you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s mental health

God, I ask that you be at work in my children’s minds. Lord, help them with their mental health. Cast out any anxiety, fear and self-doubt they have. Replace it with goodness and strength that comes from you. Fill my children with the peace of God you promise us. Give them a spirit of gratitude and calmness so they may live fully in your power and love. Protect them from any influence that brings harm to their mental wellbeing. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s relationship with God

Dear Lord, be with my children. Open their hearts and minds fully to you. If they do not know you as personal savior, help them to come to know you as personal savior. And if they do know you, Lord, strengthen and deepen their faith. Help them to stay connected to you in spite of all they have going on and the temptations in the world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s relationship with siblings

God, grow my children’s relationships with one another. Help them to love each other and treat each other with kindness. Give them grace and compassion for one another. Build their relationship with each other so that they may be friends as well as siblings. Lord, keep hard feelings from growing and festering among them. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s relationship with us

Father, I ask that you help my children to have a good relationship with my spouse and me. Lord, give us wisdom as we parent them to be the kind of parents they need to raise them according to your will and plan for their lives. Help both our children and us to show grace, love and compassion to one another. Keep us close as they grow. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s physical health

God, please be with my children physically. Meet their physical needs and help them to remain healthy in every way. Lord, let their bones continue to grow strong and their bodies function well. Help them to enjoy good health. And if they do have health struggles, Father, help us to turn to you and remember that you are always in control and always good. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s safety

Father, protect my children. Keep them safe when they are with me and safe when they are without me. Put a hedge of protection around them to protect them from the evil one and his schemes. Keep them safe in every way, everywhere they are. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A prayer for our children’s future

God, give my children wisdom and discernment as they grow, encounter new things and decide the path for their lives. Help them to seek and find your will and plan for them. Lord, renew and refresh their minds so they can be open to what you have for them. Open and close the right doors for them according to your will and plan. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

The importance of prayer life for our children

Whether your children are at the start of a new school year or smackdab in the middle of a current one, utilizing a simple prayer like any of these is beneficial. We want our young children and older children alike to have God’s help and His divine protection to be able to face difficult times.

The important thing is that we keep praying over our children’s lives. In my own life, discouragement is one of the tools Satan uses most to get to me. Through the years, I have learned the best way to combat that is with prayer. I talk to God when I’m feeling discouraged about what I’m doing and whether it’s even worth it. I’m honest with Him and ask for help, wisdom and discernment.

And sometimes we can even feel discouraged in our prayer lives. I have prayed for situations and people so many times and am not able to see God at work. Yet, through faith and what God’s Word tells me, I know He is working even when I cannot see. So I mustn’t give up and neither should you!

The Bible constantly reminds us to pray without stopping. Sometimes one of the best ways we can do that is through written prayers like these.

Find prayer cards with these prayers for your children on Etsy:

Find more prayers for your family:

Prayers for your husband

Prayers for graduates

Short prayers for moms

6 Ways a gratitude mindset can help you be a better mom and wife

Some seasons in our lives are easier to feel an attitude of gratitude than others. When everything is going well, being thankful is straightforward. But living with a gratitude mindset all the time is more challenging.

Our natural tendency as humans is to be hard on ourselves and focus on the negative things more than the positive. So, we have to be intentional about being thankful.

Shifting our focus to what we’re thankful for is not only Biblical but also good for our mental health. And that helps us to be better moms and wives. We are more likely to have patience and grace.

One important thing to notice in this verse is the word “in” instead of “for.” While we don’t have to be thankful for all circumstances, we can be grateful in them — and sometimes in spite of them.

Affiliate links are used in this post, if you make a qualifying purchase via my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. It helps support my blog, so thank you for your support! Read my full disclosure here.

The benefits of gratitude for moms

Mom life is busy and, frankly, sometimes overwhelming. Adding one more task to our to-do list seems like too much. But making the effort to develop an attitude of gratitude can actually help.

In the past, I’ve struggled with mom anger, and I’d wager you have, too. Mom anger starts building in you when you do tasks no one notices or has a clue about.

Since that’s also pretty much the definition of motherhood as well, then mom anger easily runs rampant. Developing an ongoing gratitude mindset can help alleviate that anger. Because none of us wants to be an angry mom!

How can you develop an attitude of gratitude?

Figuring out how to maintain an attitude of gratitude in the fray of everyday life takes some intentional work, but it’s not as difficult as you might think and truly has positive effects on your wellbeing.

Any time God’s will is for us to do something, He doesn’t leave us hanging. He’ll provide ways for us to accomplish what He asks of us.

These six strategies will have you on your way to developing an attitude of gratitude, feeling better mentally and, as a result, being a better mother and wife.

(Be sure to check out the free printable gratitude worksheet as well!)

1. Be intentional about a gratitude mindset.

Because we aren’t inclined to focus on what we’re thankful for, we have to find ways to really solidify that mindset and change our thinking. A great way to do this is by keeping a gratitude journal.

A gratitude journal can help you focus each day on what you’re thankful for. You can use a blank notebook and pencil, printable pages, your phone or gratitude journal prompts.

No matter what system you use, challenge yourself to come up three different things you’re thankful for each day. It may seem difficult at first, but soon you’ll find yourself constantly on the lookout for good things in your day.

Once you focus on what you’re thankful for, take time to thank God for those blessings — no matter how big or small.

And consider including your family in this as well. Pick a time — like over dinner or before bedtime — and ask everyone to share three things for which they are thankful each day. Then pray together and thank God.

Using printable gratitude worksheets can be a fun way to express gratitude. This free gratitude journal template is a printable PDF that will help you stay on track.

Free gratitude worksheets like this one are helpful to develop a daily practice of gratitude.

(If you’re looking for something more involved, check out this daily gratitude journal worksheet that also includes 60 daily Bible verses and Scripture cards.)

Encourage your children to get involved as well with their own free printable gratitude journal!

(Check out this listing on Etsy for gratitude prompts for kids with this journal and a second style as well.)

2. Get into the Word.

When we spend time reading the Word of God, we focus on Him. And when we focus on Him, we can more easily see the gifts He gives us.

Getting into the Word helps us draw closer to God. We understand who He is better. And we also better understand who He wants us to be, including as a mom and wife.

Serving our family and viewing motherhood as a ministry is easier when we understand more of God’s will. Reading your Bible is an important part of that.

Plus, there are so many Bible verses about gratitude that no matter where you’re reading in the Bible you’ll come across reminders to give thanks.

3. Listen to uplifting music.

The power of music is strong. The music we listen to impacts our moods and our mindsets. Listening to your favorite Christian music will put you in the right mind frame to have an attitude of gratitude.

When you’re listening to worship music, being grumpy is downright difficult if not impossible. And if you’re listening to it often, then even when no music is playing, those are the songs going around in your head.

The content of worship music also keeps us focused on being grateful and on God. If you’re on Spotify, the Families with Grace playlist on Spotify has hours of contemporary Christian music.

You can also tune into your local Christian radio station or hit up YouTube. “Gratitude” from Brandon Lake is a recent powerful song to help you focus on gratitude.

4. Focus on the positive.

As you are changing to a daily gratitude practice, you need to continue focusing on the positive. This includes focusing on the positive in your family as well.

While we love our families and thank God for them, we can sometimes become complacent in noticing how awesome they really are. Take time to really notice the way your husband smiles at you when your eyes meet across the room or your children share a sweet treat without you saying a word.

Of course your family isn’t perfect. But they are one of our biggest blessings from God. Staying focused on the positive helps us to have a more grateful heart.

An added benefit of utilizing gratitude activities is that they can impact your children in various ways. As our children see us focusing on positive emotions, they will be more likely to do the same.

A fun way to help kids develop an attitude of gratitude is with a gratitude scavenger hunt. Some gratitude scavenger hunts are made for younger children, while others are made for older children and adults.

5. Lend a helping hand.

Helping others can definitely result in stronger feelings of gratitude in your own life. The times we struggle most with feeling grateful are usually the times we are consumed by the challenges and hardships in our own lives.

Getting outside of ourselves and giving to others helps us shift our focus off ourselves. And, yes, it can also remind us of all we have to be thankful for as we help those who don’t have the same blessings we do.

Some of the most grateful people you’ll ever meet are those who are in the midst of a battle and truly appreciate any kindness shown to them. And that gratitude rubs off on those helping them.

Involve your entire family whenever you can. Food pantries, for example, can be a great way to give back. Start with taking your kiddos along to buy food and donate to a local pantry. It will blossom from there and your whole family will feel more grateful.

6. Ask God to help you have an attitude of gratitude.

Thankfulness and gratitude come up so often in the Bible, that we can assume God knows how hard those feelings are for us to have on our own. He knew we’d need reminders.

As a result, He also will help us. It’s OK to ask Him for help being grateful. During some dark times in my life, my prayer has literally been, “God, help me to see you and your goodness.”

Through a long season of waiting, I learned to just thank God for closing doors not meant for me. That prayer started out not being so sincere, but very soon I did feel grateful He kept me where He wanted me to be.

God is faithful to answer prayers. Ask Him for help in being more grateful.

The impact of gratitude in daily lives

No matter your season of life right now, you can intentionally cultivate and develop an attitude of gratitude. That gratitude mindset will draw you closer to God and help you be a better mom and wife.

Gratitude is a powerful tool that can cultivate spiritual and personal growth.

5 Steps to keep your faith in hard times

Life is hard. We all know that. But sometimes life batters and shatters us so severely that our faith is shaken. And we don’t talk about this enough in Christian culture. Figuring out how to keep your faith in hard times is challenging.

My faith has been shaken a few times during my 33-year walk with God. I’ve never once stopped believing in Him or loving Him since I asked him to be my personal savior as a 10-year-old, but I’ve had doubts and questions.

Sometimes I haven’t understood what He was doing, and it bothered me. I have longed for justice that just doesn’t seem to happen. If I’m being honest, I’ve also said prayers that I wasn’t sure were making it to heaven, let alone to the Father’s Throne.

I can’t tell you all sorts of theological reasons for shaken faith or even list lots of Bible verses explaining how to handle shaken faith. But, I can share some of my experiences of how God has helped me keep my faith in hard times.

Affiliate links are used in this post, if you make a qualifying purchase via my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. It helps support my blog, so thank you for your support! Read my full disclosure here.

What happens when your faith is shaken?

Unsurprisingly, we don’t usually have crises of faith when everything is going well. When life is going without major bumps and bruises, we find it easy to believe in a loving God who is with us.

But during the difficult seasons, that can change. Keeping your faith in hard times is often challenging.

I compare my faith to motherhood in this way. During the years as a mom, I have questioned a few times whether I was qualified for motherhood.

Surely all moms don’t struggle with the problems I do. I debated whether I was truly cut out to be a mom. Yet, at the end of the day, I am still a mom (and am so thankful to be!).

Faith is the same way. When all is well, I don’t have questions or doubts in faith. I am confident and sure of who I am and Who God is. But in difficult times and in the hard moments, faith gets shakier.

I sometimes wonder whether God is full of love and blessings. I don’t see Him move. Yet, at the end of the day, I am still a Christian.

We may have doubts and questions, but just because we are having doubts about God and our faith doesn’t mean we aren’t a Christian or we don’t love God. It simply means we are human. And we want a real connection with God.

If we didn’t want a real connection with God, then our faith wouldn’t be shaken by missing that connection. These steps can help you to keep your faith during hard times.

1. Go through the faith motions.

To keep my faith in God in difficult times, I learned I need to keep going through the motions. And sometimes I am quite literally just going through the motions.

A few years ago, I went through a period where for the first time in my life, I was struggling for months to sing the music at church and couldn’t even listen to Christian radio. I was having a hard time.

How could I sing praises to a God who was not showing up when I desperately needed Him to? My heart was too broken to begin to praise. That’s a hard place in which to be.

Then one Sunday, I made myself since along with the worship songs at church. My kids were in service, and I wanted to be a good example.

For the first time in my life, I truly understood the sacrifice of praise Paul talks about in Hebrews. (And take note that this verse reminds us that Jesus will give us the strength to praise continually. We can’t do it on our own!)

Praising God when you don’t feel like it and when struggling with faith is difficult. While I didn’t immediately feel better and stabilize my faith that Sunday, over time singing, praising and worshipping got easier again.

Sometimes we have to go through the motions (even when we don’t feel like it) until we get back to where we want to be. These motions helps us to keep our faith in hard times.

2. Shift your focus while on shifting ground.

Just as worshipping and praising started to get easier for me, the hard time worsened and made keeping my faith even more difficult. Honestly, I didn’t think it could get worse, yet it did. I was brought to my knees and broken. One week, in particular, was rough. I went to church that week numb and hurt.

I sat in service practically scoffing at God. How could He be good in the midst of all He was allowing to happen? Where was His justice? How could He be good? Where was His grace?

I don’t know what the sermon was about, because the cross at the front of our church caught my attention. The cross was what mattered.

Whether God was good or just or full of grace didn’t matter. What mattered is I knew the truth that He sent His Son to the cross to die for me.

When I had no other answers to anything else, I had the answer of Jesus and His love. And in that moment, it was enough.

It was enough until the hard times eased down, and I could once again see God’s goodness and grace. Jesus is always enough. Always.

I still struggle with justice. I still struggle in many ways. But I know God loves me. And just that is enough, because it is the foundation of my faith.

3. Talk to God when you have doubts in faith.

Just like in any relationship, when we are struggling with faith, we still need to communicate and work through it. Praying can be hard when we wonder whether our prayers are even getting through.

Wanting to talk to God when you are upset with Him is hard. But we have to try.

The good news is we don’t have to have all the right words. We can be honest with God. He won’t get offended and leave us. He won’t forget us, and He’ll be right there. And He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us pray even when we can’t quite get all the words out ourselves.

As I began to heal and my faith began to stabilize, I realized I still struggled to see God at work. I prayed for His help to see Him and His goodness in my life.

I knew in my head that He was there and working, but my heart was struggling to believe it. He answered my prayers and opened my eyes to see His hand in my life.

I prayed that prayer a long time, because I needed the reminder to look for God and His help to see Him.

4. Find hope to keep your faith in the hurt.

As I started seeing God at work again, I also saw how so many of my previous struggles prepared me to survive the struggle I was in. I saw how He’d been working on me for years, so I’d be ready for this time.

Recognizing these things strengthened my faith and reminded me of God’s faithfulness, grace and power. God worked on me for years before I even knew about the situation. He is still working for my good for the future!

I slowly felt more hopeful, but I still battled increased anxiety and depression. Along with my prayer to see God’s goodness and work in my life, I started a gratitude journal.

I wrote three different things each day for which I could thank God. Even hard days and times have blessings. Some days the most I was thankful for was the breath in my lungs, food on the table and a roof over my head.

However, it wasn’t long before I found so much more than the bare necessities for which to thank God. Eventually I was back in the habit of seeing God and His goodness. I was back to thanking and praising Him.

My faith had moved from shaky ground to solid ground. God’s faithfulness restored my faith to solid ground.

5. Decide to trust God completely.

Dealing with shaken faith is difficult. We get a choice whether to keep our faith during hard times. We can head down the path to find our way back to God and His strength. Or we can choose to give up on Him.

No matter the situation, don’t give up on Him. Don’t question His blessings, His goodness or His faithfulness. Remember the cross. Remember how He gave His only Son for you to have eternal life with Him.

This verse may be one of the most well-known in the Bible, but it is a perfect Bible verse to strengthen your faith in hard times. Remembering we can trust God completely because He loves us so much is vital.

Keep your faith during hard times

While your faith may be shaken, your God is not. You may have doubt in faith, but God never has a moment of doubt in His love for you. He is ever faithful and true.

Talk to God. Take a step toward Him, and He will come running to meet you. It may take time, but He is working on and for you. He loves you, and He will help you move from shaky faith to solid ground.

Find more encouragement to keep your faith in hard times in these posts as well:

How to have a happy married life in the midst of hard times

God’s promises for hard times

God is always faith even in the midst of hard times

Finding the strength to get through hard times