4 Powerful Prayers for Your Adult Children
Prayer is a vital part of being a parent. Before conceiving, I prayed to the Lord to bless my womb with children. Then when I did conceive, I prayed for a healthy delivery, and a healthy child.
As my children got older, I continued to pray – that they would do well in school, have good friendships, make good Godly choices, and be salt and light wherever they went.
And now that they have moved into adulthood, I still pray. Parenting doesn’t end when children turn 18 or 21, and neither should prayers for your adult children.
Here are 4 powerful prayers for your adult children to encourage and inspire you to keep on! Be sure to read to the end to get your Free resource to help you with praying for your children!
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The Importance of Praying Over Our Adult Children
1 Thessalonians tells us to “pray without ceasing.” This includes praying over our children, no matter their age. But it is even more important for us to pray for our children as they move into adult life.
When our adult children leave the comforts of our home, they’ll encounter a world that is not designed for the believer. No matter how much we’ve prepared them, it will mock their faith, and test all they’ve been taught.
RELATED: My Daughter, At Least Remember This…
When societal norms conflict with the way they’ve been raised, it can be scary, for both the adult child and for us as parents. Therefore, we can’t stop praying for them.
Especially when we have God’s promise…to hear our prayers! 1 John 5:14-15 says,
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
There’s only one Person who is strong enough and able to answer our prayers. It’s not as if God stops moving on our behalf when our children grow up, so why would we stop petitioning him?
Even now, there are things I desire God to do for, and through, my adult children. So I have to pray to the ONLY One able to do something about my requests. God doesn’t stop answering our prayers just because our children are adults. So, let’s keep praying!
Prayers for Your Adult Children
You never stop being a mom. No matter how old our children get, we will always want to nurture them, protect them, and keep them safe. How we mother looks different as our children grow into adulthood, but we’ll always be a mom.
When my children graduated high school, my husband would say we’re now just bumper rails, making sure they don’t go into the gutter. This is a scary truth, but there’s so much beyond the gutter, that we should be daily praying for our children.
To help you in praying for your children, here are 4 prayers for your adult children that I pray for mine.
God doesn’t stop answering our prayers just because our children are adults. So, let’s keep praying!
Daily Prayer for Adult Children
As believing parents, it is our responsibility to pray, regardless of our children’s current station in life. We can always pray that they either surrender their lives to the Lord if they are unsaved, or continue walking strong with the Lord if they are believers.
We can pray for wisdom, protection, and peace. And since, as parents, we often see into their lives more than others, we can pray for their specific needs.
I’m also a firm advocate for praying the scriptures over our children. We can pray, for example, quick prayers like David prayed concerning Solomon in 1 Chronicles 29:19, that the Lord would give our adult children a perfect heart, that they would keep His commandments and testimonies.
We can also pray Matthew 22:37 over them, that they would love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind.
Prayer: Lord, today and every day we ask for your protection over our children. Keep them safe from any harm or danger. God, grant them godly wisdom for every decision they make. Help them to seek You first before moving. Illuminate their path that they will walk only where You tell them to go. And, Lord, most importantly, we pray for their walk with You. If they are saved, draw them closer to You, Lord. Let them dive deeper into your Word, and let them experience You like never before. If they are unsaved, Lord, continue calling them until they respond. We pray that the blinders will be removed from their eyes and that they will recognize their need for a Savior. Help them to see that their only hope is in You, Lord. We pray that our children will make a difference in this world and that their lives will reveal Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For more help deepening your prayer life, you’ll want to be sure to check out all these powerful Prayer Resources!
Prayer for Adult Children in Crisis
Many parents facing a crisis with their children cling to Proverbs 22:6 for hope. It says,
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
On the surface this might seem to suggest that every child raised in a godly home will eventually return to the faith wherein they were raised. Sadly, that scripture is often misunderstood. It doesn’t offer the guarantee that every child raised in a godly home will never stray. That would mean that their salvation is dependent on our training.
And while being raised in a godly home does help, the truth of the matter is that our children, just like we parents, have a will to accept or deny Christ on their own. And He will never override their will, no matter the training they received.
Sometimes, the fruit we see in our children does not reflect the seeds planted. But be encouraged, we still have hope!
2 Peter 3:9 says that…
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And 1 Timothy 2:4 says this about God’s will, or desire for all mankind…
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
This is why, even in the face of crisis, when we see the enemy moving against our adult children, we can have hope and continue to pray.
And remember that God is near to the brokenhearted.
Prayer: Dear Lord, despite what we see, You are still faithful. So we put our faith and trust in You concerning our children. We lift up every child facing a crisis. Whether it’s a crisis of faith, or a crisis born of their own doing. Bring healing, deliverance, and restoration. Lord, we lift up prodigal children to You. Bring them to faith in Jesus as their Saviour. And for those living in lifestyles that don’t align to your Word, change their hearts and mind. Remove every hinderance from their lives that keeps them separated from You. As parents, give us strength to love our children through their prodigal season. Whatever the situation they face, let them know that they are not alone and that You are with them. Turn it for their good and your glory. And if we must go through the fire, we thank You in advance for going with us. God, You are long suffering. Help us to be, as well. Helps us not to grow weary in waiting and praying for the turn around. Give us sound minds and peace. Give us strategies to face any trial knowing that the God we serve has never known defeat. Grant us your wisdom and strength to handle whatever we must face, and peace of mind for the difficult times. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Prayer for Your Adult Son
Part of Satan’s attack on the family is to destroy and confuse what God has established as good. To that end, in our culture there appears to be an attack on biblical manhood. I don’t mean the over macho, bullying, caveman, insensitive type. But the God-given role of a man who is submitted to Christ. A man like David, after God’s own heart. A man who, if married, leads his family well. If you have adult sons, you can pray this prayer over them.
Prayer: Lord, help our sons to walk in biblical manhood. Help them to find their identity in You and not what the world says about them. Help them to see themselves the way You see them. We thank You for giving them strength to counter what the culture says and to standup and speak the truth. If our sons aren’t married, Lord, we pray for their future spouse. Send him a kind, godly, kingdom-minded woman who will complement him and be a help meet suitable for him. Help her to match his visions, but also bring peace. We pray, literally, for a match made in heaven! As they lead their families, help them to walk in humility. And for our adults sons who are unmarried, we pray for protection from things that would try to steal their attention away from You. We come against pornography and any other trap the enemy may send their way. Surround them, Lord, with fellow brothers in Christ to support them. Bless them spiritually, physically, and emotionally. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer for Your Grown Daughter
I am privileged to have a daughter who is nothing like me. Though I didn’t always see it as a privilege. She’s taught me so much. And just like with our sons, we see the enemy wanting to destroy families by attacking and perverting God’s biblical design for womanhood. There’s so much confusion on identities, roles, etc. But God’s Word contains the answers. As we pray for our adult daughters, let’s ask the Lord to restore the beauty of femininity.
Prayer: Lord, we lift up our adult daughters to You. God, I pray that they will not turn to the culture for their identities. May she always see herself as a vessel of honor. You have a perfect plan for her life that was known before she was crafted in her mother’s womb. I pray that our daughters will walk in all that You’ve called them to walk into. I pray over every friendship and relationship she will have. Lord, allow these relationships to be in alignment with You and your will for her life. Don’t let any relationship rob her peace or joy. I pray that no negative influence will enter her life. Protect her mind, heart, and emotions. Protect her! Lord, I pray that you will send older godly women to help mentor our daughters. May she always find her value and worth in You. If she’s not saved, I pray that she will come to the knowledge of who You are. I pray she will surrender her life and begin living a life focused and dedicated to You. If she is saved, I pray for a deepened relationship with You. If she’s not married, Lord, I pray for her future husband. That he will be a godly man who can lead his family well. If children are in her future, bless her womb now. If she’s not married, let her be kept in perfect peace, and innocence. I pray for any bruised relationships daughters may face, especially those with absent fathers. Bring healing and restoration. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Your prayers matter, Mom! They matter to God, and to your children. In fact, God tells us…
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16
Our adult children still need our wisdom and prayers. Regardless of whether we’re parenting adult sons or daughters, and regardless of whether they are walking with the Lord or not, our prayers matter!
As believers, this world was not meant for us to live without communicating with and petitioning our heavenly Father. We owe it to our children and the next generations to come, to realize the importance of remaining steadfast in prayer!
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About the Author – Detria Moore
Detria Moore is a believer, wife, mother of two, college professor, intercessor, community servant, writer, speaker, and volunteer. Above all else, she is enamored with her Savior. Her main goal is to serve the Lord, walk in a manner worthy of her calling, and bring glory to Jesus Christ.
