Praying For Our Children: How can I pray for my children? ( Part 1)

As a parent, one of the most significant and influential roles you play is that of being a faithful prayer warrior on behalf of your children. Because of the closeness of your relationship, you can know your child as no one else knows him and discern when he most needs prayer support.

In this article, adapted from material by Biblical counselor Dr. Jim Logan, we focus on six areas of prayer: a prayer of dedication, prayers of blessing, prayers about parenting, prayers of intercession, prayers against anger, and prayers for God’s hedge of protection around your child.

A Prayer of Dedication

As parents welcome a new baby into their home, many wonder, What is the most important thing I can do for my child? The most important thing you could do for a new son or daughter—God’s special gift to you—is to dedicate your child to God.

A prayer of dedication is based on recognizing that God has given the child to you for your care and upbringing. By acknowledging this gift and the responsibility that comes with it, parents can affirm that the child ultimately belongs to God and therefore purpose to raise the child in a way that honors God’s gift and His design for life.

A prayer of dedication should involve both parents praying together. Here is a suggested outline for your prayer of dedication:

• Gather before God with your spouse and child.
• Thank God for the gift of your child.
• Confess your own iniquities, with the truth of Psalm 66:18 in mind: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”
• Ask God to reveal any area in your life that has not been given to Him or any stronghold of satan (false philosophies, sinful habits, unconfessed sin) that is present. (To see a pattern of how to pray, read the prophet Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3–19.)
• Acknowledge specific iniquities that come to mind.
• Ask God to cleanse you of the iniquity by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Ask God to reclaim any ground given to Satan and to tear down every stronghold of the enemy.
• Claim freedom for your child through Jesus Christ.
• Pray that God would cut off generational iniquities and sinful influences in your child’s life. Claim the truth of Psalm 103:17, that from now on righteousness would be the heritage of your children and of future generations: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.”
• Dedicate your child to God.
• Verbalize your desire to raise this child for the Lord. Pray that your child will come to saving faith in Christ at a young age. Pray that his life will bring glory to God.
• Ask for wisdom to raise the child in the way God would have him to go.

Sample Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come to you desiring my child [give full name] to be free from all generational sins, iniquities, and their results, which may have an influence upon my child. I thank you for saving me and cleansing me of my sin. I confess that I belong to you, and I dedicate my child [give full name] to you. 

I now confess and repent of all my sins, known and unknown. I now confess the sins of my forefathers. In the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now renounce and ask you to break the power of all generational sins, iniquities, and curses that were passed down to me by the sins or actions of others. I now renounce and ask you to break and loose me and my family from all demonic subjection that would seek to influence or control me or my family in any way contrary to the Word or will of God. I claim release and freedom through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that my son/daughter would fear you, and that from now on righteousness would be the heritage of my family, of my children, and of our future generations.

Lord, I pray that [give full name] will receive you as his/her Savior at an early age. Place within his/her heart a desire to follow you all the days of his/her life. Keep him/her pure and willing to wait until you reveal your life partner for him/her in your perfect will. If it is your will for him/her to be married, I ask that you would set apart for yourself a life partner for him/her and that he/she would keep himself/herself pure. I pray that his/her life would bring glory to you, and I ask that you would give me wisdom in training him/her up in the way you would have him/her to go. Amen.