How to Pray Scripture Over the People You Love
Let everything you do be done in love… 1 Corinthians 16:14
It’s hard to do everything in love, isn’t it?
Today is the day we focus on love … romantic love, family love, and friend love.
- Eros — Romanic Love.
- Storge — Familial Love.
- Philia — Affectionate (Friend) Love.
But that’s not the love Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians. The word he used is ἀγάπῃ.
- Agape — Unconditional Love.
Agape love is unconcerned with the self and concerned with the greatest good of another. Agape isn’t born just out of emotions, feelings, familiarity, or attraction, but from the will and as a choice. Agape requires faithfulness, commitment, and sacrifice without expecting anything in return.
Christianity.com
Based on that definition … is it any wonder that agape love is hard?!
Jesus told His followers to…
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.
Mark 12:30–31 (edited)
And…
Love as I have loved you.
John 13:34
Jesus loved with perfect knowledge and wisdom and no matter how much I want that … my imperfect self falls short. But there is something Jesus did with agape love that you and I can always know is right and the perfect thing to do in any situation and for every relationship.
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is John 17. It’s a beautiful example of Jesus praying for those He loves … His disciples, His followers, you and me.
And we can pray, too! We can take our people to the One who always knows what they need … to the One who loves them perfectly.
Today, I’m taking the people I love to the Lord in prayer and I’d love for you to join me as I pray Scripture for those you love.
Pray Scripture Over the People You Love
Pray Scripture for Your Husband
I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower __________with inner strength through Your Holy Spirit. Ephesians 3:16
I pray that You will be __________’s the source of hope. Fill him completely with joy and peace because he trusts You. Be an overflowing source of confident hope in his life through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Help __________ to be strong and courageous. Please remove all fear and help him know that You are with him wherever he goes. Joshua 1:9
Please give __________ the humility and willingness to ask You for wisdom and direction. James 1:5
Lord, please help __________ to trust Your love and give all worries and cares to You. 1 Peter 5:7
Pray Scripture for Your Wife
I pray that when her heart hurts and she’s worn out, __________ will know that You, Lord, will always be with her … that You are the source of her strength. Psalm 73:26
Father, please help ___________ know that she is an amazing and wonderful miracle made by Your grace and for Your glory. Psalm 139:14
Spirit, remove __________’s fear and give her everything she needs to live with power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
Please help ________ remember and thank You for all you have done in the past, coming to You in prayer each time she is anxious and concerned. Philippians 4:6
Lord, I pray __________ will trust You completely as You remind her each morning of Your unfailing love. Guide and direct her as she entrusts this day to You. Psalm 143:8
Pray Scripture for Your Children
I pray __________ roots will grow down into Your grace, mercy, and love … and that __________’s life will be built on You, Lord. Colossians 2:7
Please enable __________ to stand strong firm in faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:21
Lord, when __________ is afraid, please help him/her put their trust in You. Psalm 56:3
Lord, keep __________ from copying the behavior of this world. Transform him/her into a new person who knows Your good and pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
Please help __________ to trust Your plans to give them a future and a hope that lasts forever. Jeremiah 29:11
Pray Scripture for Everyone You Love
Lord keep watch over __________’s coming and going wherever they go today, tomorrow, and always. Psalm 121:8
Please help __________ follow You with integrity and godliness …. obeying all Your commands and trusting Your will. 1 Kings 9:4
I pray that __________ will wholeheartedly trust in You, follow Your path, and seek Your will in everything. Proverbs 3:5–6
Lord, let the peace that passes understanding guard __________’s heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
May __________ experience Your love and be made complete in all the fullness of life and power that comes from You alone. Ephesians 3:19
Lord, may __________ pray about everything, telling You about each need and thanking you for all You’ve done. May __________ experience Your hard to understand peace filled with the love of Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7
Lord, I pray __________ will be strong in Your power boldly putting on the protective armor You give to fight against all the strategies of the enemy. Ephesians 6:10–11
I pray __________ will be rooted deeply in Your love to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love truly is. Ephesians 3:17–18
May __________ know the three things that will last forever—faith, hope, and love—secure in the truth that the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
A Prayer for the People You Love
Father, please fill the people I love with the love of Christ Jesus. My heart’s desire is for them to seek You and to know and love You with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Please give them everything they need each day to live in peace and give them the courage and strength needed to live for Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen.
One more thing…
I’ve often said, that the one thing I wish I’d done more of when our children were growing up is … pray for them.
I read countless parenting books as I worried of this stage and that change and sure I shot up countless prayers for the Lord to guide and direct me to be the best mom I could be … but oh, how I wish I had prayed more specifically for my family’s needs.
I sometimes think it’s because I didn’t know how to put my prayers into words. Sure I prayed, “please help, please guide, please bless” often but too often I was so overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment that I struggled to focus and pour our needs out the way I truly wanted.
That’s why I love praying Scripture. God gives us the words to pray for our loved ones.
How cool is that?!
He loves us and the people we love so much that He not only wants and welcomes our prayers but He gives us the words to pray as well.
And if we miss something, He says…
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Romans 8:26
That is overwhelming love.
Love that is perfect, unconditional, and unfailing.
And on a day when we are focused on love – that is Good News!
So pray for the people you love and trust God’s perfect, unconditional, and unfailing love.
Before you go … share a verse you turn to when you want to pray Scripture for someone you love.
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and even take a few minutes to pray over the list left by our friends.
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I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi” and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Hello all Thank You Deb for this it is great to use scripture in prayer. I have enjoyed filling in the blanks.This is great for all to learn how to pray. I am a Bible teacher on social media and my blog is httpslisafleet.blogspot.com I am on Pinterest as lisafleetbelieiver1 please share scriptures and videos and prayers with others. Please help spread the word to the world from others. I enjoy being one of your followers. May God bless you
Thanks so much for visiting, Lisa, and for all you do to share the message of God’s love! God bless You!
Blessed to visit a wonderful scripture prayer ????
I myself filled blessed reading each scripture prayer filling the names of my loved ones. Thank you so much sister and God bless you ????
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I’m so glad you visited! God be with you and bless you!
Thank you Deb for the prayers,Today it a new day for one year just add to my birthday please me to have more faith.
Happy Birthday, Marie! I’m praying and asking God to hold you close and assure you each day of His faithful love and care. God bless you!
I am going to bookmark this post, Deb, so I can practice praying Scripture over my loved ones. Thank you for all the inspiration you continue to pour out here at Counting My Blessings.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thank you, Martha! I am always blessed by your kind encouragement! Happy Valentine’s Day to you! Have a beautifully blessed day!
Thank you very much for blessing me by reminding me that I always have Jesus perfect love .
Thank you, Diane! I’m so glad you stopped by and that you were encouraged! May your day be filled with the Lord’s blessings!
Thank you for being transparent as I often sit in prayer not sure of what to say the words are in my mind and in my heart but it’s hard to articulate them into words to God thank you….
I understand, Narrissa. It is hard at times … which is why I love praying Scripture. What a blessing to have God’s Word that we might know His will for us and for our loved ones. Thanks so much for visiting. God bless you!
Hi Deb thank you for helping me pray the prayers that I need to help me and my family from confusion, making the right decisions, and hard to understand many things in my life as well as praying for my sons to stay and trust God word and to be the world and not of the world, Thank you God bless
I’m so glad you visited, Marion! I’m joining you in prayer for your family. God bless you!
I need prayers for my father. He has been struggling with cancer for over a year. He’s at the point where I know he’s holding on and I want him to only hold on if he feels he has the strength to do so. He’s scared and I want him to feel Gods love and peace in his time of need. I love them so much, I don’t want to see him suffer. Please protect my family including my mother which I know is hurting and afraid.
I’m so sorry, Stephanie. This is a very difficult time for you all. I’m praying for your dad and for your family. May the Lord be with you and hold you close as He gives you strength and hope during the days ahead. God be with you and bless you all.
Please pray for my friend waiting g to go to ER now with heart pains. Her family needs to be more attentive to her needs. She lives alone
I’m so sorry, Elsie! I am praying for your friend! God bless you!
Thank you Deb,,I always get nervous and hope no one calls on me to pray for the group in dy and connect group. This came up on my Pinterest feed at the right time tonite as my spouse and I go in separate directions as I am the only believer in my family. I struggle constantly battling the devil and his hurtful ways, everything I do or say gets the “you’re not a true Christian” I’m tired of trying, but iknow when im weary, He is with me. I have problems remembering the scriptures ???? please pray a ndcontrnd for the unbelievers in my home. Husband canceled his Super Bowl lunch with his friend because of me, I don’t know why because I literally did nothing, he’s the one who refused to talk to me. Thanks Deb for your lovely Pinterest site
I am sorry you are going through this difficult time, Jan. I’m lifting you up and asking the Lord to work faith and His love in the lives of your family members. Thank you so much for your kind encouragement. God be with you and bless you!
Hi Deb!
I am on the prayer team for an upcoming retreat, and this is exactly what I was asking the Lord for! I’m going to take a few of these scriptures and write them up for each of the teams that I’m assigned to. They fit perfectly.
I know several of these scriptures but there are a few that I want to memorize so that I can pray them over these teams. Thank you so much!
Loring
I’m so glad this helped! Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ll come back and visit again. God bless you!
I love praying Scripture!
Me too, Donna! Blessings!
Thank you again and again, Deb, for ALL your shared writing/posts! Each is so inspiring and encouraging and each speaks to me through your Spirit-given words. Praying God’s Word is the BEST–He always gives us the words to say to Him! If we’d just make time to talk to Him more often, and know that He always hears us! I pray for you and the Rev, for healing, comfort and joy. My prayer requests include healing from my long-lasting vertigo and vestibular headaches, for safety of all children and families at school and home, and for hearts full of gratitude each day. I’m so thankful for ALL God’s blessings.
Thanks, Jane! Your friendship and encouragement are such a blessing. Thank you for your prayers and know that we are lifting you up to the Lord . . . asking Him to remove your pain and dizziness and bless you each day. May the Lord bless you and draw us all closer to Him as we walk this journey of faith.
Hi, Deb! Thank you for this post. I think it’s an answer to a prayer. I had started trying to pray using the scriptures, but it didn’t feel natural. Your examples are exactly what I need, and they will help me with my prayer life!
Thank you so much for visiting, Janice. I’m glad you were blessed and encouraged. We’d love for you to join us regularly and become part of our faith encouraging group of friends. God bless you!