Do you know how to pray for your children?

I mean, do you REALLY KNOW how to pray for your children? Are you able to confidently pray for your children because you know that you are praying God’s will for them? Are you able to spend time on your knees in earnest intercession for your children?

So often I mutter a brief prayer in the morning for my children’s health and safety and then move onto the “important” things in my day (like making breakfast and emptying the dishwasher).

Meanwhile, Satan is prowling as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And he has his eyes on your children and mine.

God does not leave us without help when it comes to praying.

He has given us His Word to help us pray for exactly the right things that our children will need as they face life.

Do you know how to REALLY PRAY for your children? If not, you can start learning today! Psalm 40 is a great place to start.

Psalm 40 is a perfect prayer for parents to pray for their children. It leads us through six very real life situations that our children will experience. The best part? Psalm 40 tells us exactly how to pray for our children before and as they go through these life experiences.

Praying Psalm 40

1. Times of Trial

In times of trial, pray that your children would wait patiently on the Lord.

I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.

Pray that your children would be strengthened to wait patiently on God through trials. God can bring them up out of any pit that they fall into. He can set their feet upon a solid rock. He can put a new song into your child’s mouth. God can use their trial to bring glory to Himself. Pray that they would be able to wait patiently for the Lord.

2. Times of Doubt

In times of doubt, pray that your children would trust in the Lord.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

Temptations to doubt will come! Our children will meet friends and teachers who would lead them away from the truth. They will struggle with doubts. Pray that, when proud people and liars surround them, they would not be led astray. Pray that their trust would remain in the Lord and that they would remember God’s greatness in the past and trust God’s current love for them.

3. Times of Temptation

In times of temptation, pray that your children would listen to God and obey Him.

My ears You have opened;
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.

Our children will face temptations to sin. And, yes, praise the Lord they can always repent when they fall! But, how much better to listen and obey the first time? Pray that your children would know God’s Word and delight to do it. Pray that, when the temptation comes, their hearts would be so in love with God and His Word that the temptation would lose all power.

4. Times of Silence

In times of silence, pray that your children would be unafraid to speak of God’s righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, lovingkindness, and truth.

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

Pray that your children will never be afraid or ashamed of speaking out for God, no matter who they are with. Pray that, when they reach heaven, they will be able to stand before God’s throne and say, “I did not restrain my lips from speaking the truth about God.”

5. Times of Despair

In times of despair, pray that your children would remember God’s compassion, lovingkindness, and truth.

You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;

We all experience times when life seems overwhelming, when we are beaten down by our sin, and when our heart fails us. Our children will experience this, too. Pray that they will be able to remember God’s compassion, lovingkindness, and truth during these times of despair. Pray that they would not be crushed, but would again find their hope in God.

6. Times of Distress

In times of distress, pray that your children would know God’s help and deliverance.

Since I am afflicted and needy,
Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

When our children take a stand for God, people will falsely accuse them and persecute them. This may happen at school when they are young or in the work place when they are older. Persecution may even come from a trusted friend. Pray that in the midst of this distress, they would know God’s help and deliverance in a very personal way. Pray that their deliverance would cause other believers to take heart and glorify God.

Can you REALLY KNOW how to pray for your children? Yes! God gives us everything we need to truly know how to pray for our children in His Word.

And the best part? We can get started today!

How about you? Will you take time to pray for your children today? Do you have a favorite scripture that you pray for them? I would love to hear from you! Please scroll down to comment.

Click the image below to print the Psalm 40 prayer prompts.

More Posts from Path Through the Narrow Gate: