13 Powerful and Fervent Prayers for 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 13 powerful prayers for adult children to encourage and inspire you to keep on being the prayer warrior your child needs! 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 Adult Children
1 Thessalonians 5:17 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 kids leave the comforts of our home, they’ll encounter challenging times in 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.
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When societal norms conflict with the way our children have 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.
1 John 5:14-15
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 grown children. So I have to pray to the ONLY One able to do something about my requests. God doesn’t stop answering our prayers for our children just because our children are adults. So, let’s keep praying!
God doesn’t stop answering our prayers just because our children are adults. So, let’s keep praying!
Prayers for 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.
And praise God, there is great power in a mother’s prayers! For we mothers who yearn for our children know what it is to pray earnestly and fervently for God to intervene! And those are the kinds of prayers God hears and answers! (James 5:16)
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 13 prayers for your adult children that I pray on behalf of my children.
Daily Prayer for Adult Children
As a believing parent of adult children, 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 I ask for your protection over our children’s lives. Keep them safe from any harm or danger. Give them good health and a thankful heart. And grant them the spirit of wisdom for every decision they make. May they have a right fear of the Lord that their life choices would follow God’s ways. Help them to seek You first before moving. Illuminate their path that they will walk only where You tell them to go.
Prayer: Lord, most importantly, I pray for our children’s walk with You. If they are saved, draw them closer to You, Lord. May they learn for themselves the power of praying, as they see You work in their own lives in answer to their prayers. Let them dive deeper into your Word, and let them experience You like never before.
Prayer: Father, if any of our children are unsaved, continue calling them until they respond. I 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. I pray that our children will make a difference in this world and that their lives will reveal Christ Jesus. In the name of Jesus, 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 tough times 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.
Proverbs 22:6
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.
2 Peter 3:9
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.
1 Timothy 2:4
This is why, even in the face of hard times, 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. God’s love will sustain and comfort our broken heart and help us to persevere in the good work of prayer for our child’s life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, despite what I see, You are still faithful. So I put my faith and trust in You concerning our child. I lift up our child facing a crisis. Whether it’s a crisis of faith, or a crisis born of their own doing, please bring healing, deliverance, and restoration. Lord, I lift up our prodigal child to You. Bring him/her to faith in Jesus as their Saviour. If he/she is living in lifestyles that don’t align to your Word, change his/her heart and mind. Help him or her choose the right thing that their lives could be filled with all the good things You desire for them.
Prayer: Father God, I pray that You would remove every hinderance from our child’s life that keeps him/her separated from You. Give me strength as their parent to love our child 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!
Prayer: God, You are long suffering. Help me to be, as well. Help me not to grow weary in waiting and praying for the turn around. Give me a sound mind and peace. Give me strategies to face any trial knowing that the God I serve has never known defeat. Grant me your wisdom and strength to handle whatever I must face, and peace of mind for the difficult times. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Prayers for My Grown 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 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 son to walk in biblical manhood. Help him to find his identity in You and not what the world says about him. Help him to see himself the way You see him. I thank You for giving him strength to counter what the culture says and to standup and speak the truth.
Prayer: Father, for our unmarried son, Lord, I pray for his 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. I pray, literally, for a match made in heaven! As our son leads his family, help him to walk in humility.
Prayer: Lord, for our adult son who is unmarried, I pray for protection from things that would try to steal his attention away from You and their family members. I come against pornography and any other lust of the flesh the enemy may send his way. Surround him, Lord, with good relationships, fellow brothers in Jesus Christ to support him and help him make right choices. Bless him spiritually, physically, and emotionally. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayers for My 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, I lift up our adult daughter to You. God, I pray that she will not turn to the culture for her identity. May our daughter 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 daughter will walk in all that You’ve called her to walk into.
Prayer: Father, I pray that You will fill her life with the right people. I pray over every friendship and relationship our daughter 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, O God!
Prayer: Lord, I pray that you will send older godly women to help mentor our daughter. 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.
Prayer: Father, I believe our daughter is saved. Please help her have a deepened relationship with You. 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. Let her be kept in perfect peace, and innocence as she awaits your will. And in your time, help her be the wife and mother You would have her to be. 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 coming before the throne of grace and petitioning our heavenly Father. We owe it to our children and the next generations 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.
