8 Helpful Prayers that will Bless Your Parenting

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Being a parent is hard work, but it can be a blessed journey. But the journey takes prayer. Lots of prayer. Here are a few to help you get you started.

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” ~ Anne Frank

We’ve learned a lot of wisdom from this young woman whose life was cut short at the tender age of 15.

This quote really hit me. When my children were young I firmly believed that great input in parenting would always bring about great results from their children.

I’ve grown up and so have my children.

Today, as I look around at our peers and their grown children, and ponder our experience I can honestly say, “it ain’t necessarily so.”

I’ve known many great parents whose children decided to ignore their words and example to try a more challenging path.

I know. If you have young children that wasn’t very encouraging. But…

Don’t give up!

I still believe parents should give the important job of parenting all they’ve got.

Then…

Don’t be too hard on yourself. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. You probably know that already!

Mom guilt is something that goes with the job and I believe dads suffer from it too.

Today I want to encourage you and give you a little advice.

  1. Always remember You are covered by God’s grace.

  2. Pray more than anything and then pray again.

And just to get you started, I have 8 prayers you can pray now.

Being a parent is hard work, but it can be a blessed journey. But the journey takes prayer. Lots of prayer. Here are a few to help you get you started.

8 Helpful Prayers that will Bless Your Parenting

1. Thank you for my child.

Every child is a blessing, ask God to help you enjoy each day with gratitude.

Father, Thank you so much for my child. Help me to celebrate this awesome every day, even the hard days. Help me celebrate my child’s unique personality and abilities. I believe You made her exactly the way You wanted and that You will use her for Your plans and purposes. Thank you. I am humbled that you would entrust this precious child to me. Help me show them and You daily how thankful I truly am. Amen.

2. Please forgive me. 

Every parent makes mistakes, ask God to forgive you and thank Him for His grace and mercy.

Father, please forgive me. I want to guide my child according to Your will but I fall short. I lose patience, I get angry, and I miss opportunities to show them Your love. Help me, Father, I want to honor this awesome responsibility You’ve given me. Help me to do better. Amen.

3. Help me embrace forgiveness. 

Everyone needs forgiveness, receive God’s forgiveness, forgive yourself (no more guilt), forgive your child and be blessed by your child’s forgiveness.

Father, thank you for Your merciful forgiveness. You say you have removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) I praise you. Help me forgive as I have been forgiven. My child and myself. Help me ask my child for forgiveness when I hurt him/her. We all sin. We all need forgiveness. I believe that with Your help I can let go of past offenses and go into this day with hope and joy. Amen.

Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to respect the Lord. Psalm 34:11

 4. Give me the courage I need each day. 

Everyone parent has to make difficult decisions. Pray for the courage to obey God’s will under pressure.

Father, today was hard. It would so much easier if I could just pull the covers over my head and ignore this problem. But my child needs me to stand strong on Your truth. He needs me to point them toward Your commands and remind them of the potential consequences of their choices. It’s even harder to let him live out the after effect of foolish choices already made. Help me Father. I need Your guidance and strength. Amen.

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Deuteronomy 6:6–7

5. Bless me with wisdom to parent well.

Every child is unique, pray that God will give you the wisdom to meet your child’s personal needs.

Father, I need Your help. I need wisdom. Please by the power of Your Spirit help me parent my child. How I wish I had a personalized set of instructions. It seems like some things work with one child and they don’t with another. Please give me wisdom. I want to parent this wonderfully made child You’ve given me well, not for me but for her good and Your glory. Amen.

A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them. Proverbs 13:24

Being a parent is hard work, but it can be a blessed journey. But the journey takes prayer. Lots of prayer. Here are a few to help you get you started.

6. Help me parent my child with patience. 

Parents and children need patience, pray to be slow to get frustrated and angry.

Father, I need patience. Sometimes I’m reticent to ask for it because I don’t want anymore challenging opportunities to practice it. I just want You to magically give it to me. Help me remember that You are always with me and that You want to give me all I need. Bless me with the patience I need to love my child well. Make me slow to get angry and help me remember to laugh when possible. Amen.

7. Fill my home with respect and kindness. 

We all want a peaceful home. Pray to make speaking with kindness and respect a priority in your home.

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve allowed snarkiness in my home. I’m guilty, too. Please help me measure my words and speak with respect to my spouse and my child. May we remember the importance of having a gentle spirit and using a kind tone of voice. By Your grace, help me model this for my child and carefully remind her when she forgets. Amen.

Fathers, do not be so hard on your children that they will give up trying to do what is right. Colossians 3:21

8. Fill my home with peace and love. 

A happy family. Everyone wants one.  Ask God to fill your home with joy as you celebrate His peace and love.

Father, I ask You to fill my home with joy. Help us celebrate your many blessings. Big and small. Thank you! You give us all we need and give us contentment. Keep our focus on You. Help us faithfully study Your Word, join together in prayer, and worship together. Grant us Your peace and fill us with Your love. Amen.

Oh, my dear friend, this comes as a word from someone who has been in the trenches of parenting. I prayed a lot for my children and the one thing I would do differently . . . I would pray more.

You just can’t possibly pray too much for those precious gifts God has entrusted to your care.

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24 Comments

  1. Thanks, Deb, for “going there” with the truth that this parenting journey does not always turn out the way we think it will — but this is not a reflection up on our parenting or on the sovereignty of God. As I pray for my grown boys and for my still growing boys, I really try to be guided by the Spirit rather than TELLING God what to do in the lives of these young men.

  2. Great encouragement, Deb. I especially love 7-8 … as that is the TONE of the household … with busy teenagers who are desperate for independence, respect & kindness and peace & love are not always abundant!

  3. This is a great post for this mom in the trenches, Deb! I’m posting it to my author FB page too. Blessings and prayers sent your way on this icy morning!

  4. I am a mom in the trenches but my girls are grown and gone! Parenting never ends does it? And our prayers never have an expiration date.
    Good to be here today Deb.
    Blessings friend,
    Patti

  5. as my friend encouraged me, God was the perfect parent and look how humans turned out! Great post and the reality is I pray harder now that they are older – cuz I have no control. (say that 40 times a day, Sue!) Great post, as always, deb!

  6. These are wonderful prayers, regardless of our situation. Leaving things in God’s hands is difficult, but it can bring us such peace when we do it! Thanks, Deb.

  7. Love these prayers, Deb!
    Oh, how I’ve breathed so many of these – even this morning!
    Sure do appreciate you and your blog~
    Melanie

  8. Wow, these prayers are SO good and powerful! I think you need to make them into a printable ;). I love everything you said too about how sometimes things just don’t turn out the way parents would have hoped. People often make the wrong judgement or parents themselves do, thinking that the choices their kids make are a reflection of them. When children grow up they choose their own path. I can imagine it must be so hard to see them make choices that aren’t good for them. I love the prayers to fill my home with respect and kindness, peace and love!

  9. Such amazing words of encouragement for both parents and grandparents, Deb. I’m definitely forwarding this post to my daughter; I’m sure these prayers will come in handy for her as she and her husband are raising three little girls.
    Blessings!

  10. First of all, Deb, Thank You for all the time and effort you put into sharing each week. The way you fill others with His Word reminds me of the woman whose spiritual children are far more than the children of her womb. I really appreciate that about you.
    And secondly, the Lord has been reminding me more and more that my knees are a battleground or power and I am called there more and more. I wish I could go back and pray more, too. Especially in those times when I decided to choose my way. 🙂

    Blessings!
    Dawn

  11. Thank you for featuring my blog today! I absolutely love visiting yours- for some reason whatever you write is something that has been on my mind. It has happened time and time again. You are a blessing to me:)

    Sue

  12. Deb- this was great! I’m going to pin it so I have it at the ready when I need it!
    I’m leaving filled with grace, God is leading me and my children. Thank you for the encouragement!
    Julie

  13. Deb,
    I often tell parents “The single most effective thing we can do for our children is to pray”. Thank you for these specific prayers. This mama of 6 needs that constant lifeline of prayer.

  14. Thank you! What a blessing for me!

  15. Karla Modric says:

    Thank you Deb very much ! I find help, strength, love , faith and bllessings in words you writte. God inspires you ! Love and greetings , Karla.

  16. Love this Deb! I’m giving a talk tomorrow to Moms and have many of these same verses in it! Will be happy to share! Thanks for all your good words to encourage!

  17. Great! I’ll write them down.

    Love,
    Lilly

  18. Kerolyn Vagi says:

    Hi, I’m Kerolyn & i’am struggling to have a child can you pray for me.

    1. I’m sorry for your struggle, Kerolyn. We are lifting you up in prayer and asking God to fulfill your longing for a little one. God bless you!