20 Meaningful Things to Pray For Your Family + Printable Reference Cards

It’s So Important to Pray For Your Family

When my daughter was born, I was absolutely terrified.

I mean, of course, I was overjoyed to become a mother. But the reality quickly set in that I was the reason that she was alive…or at least a big part of the reason.

And if she didn’t grow up to know and love God, her eternal destination was at stake, all because her father and I decided that we wanted a child. Yikes.

I knew that I needed to consistently pray for both her and my husband but wondered, what the heck are you supposed to pray for your family?

Of course, I prayed every day for their health, protection, and any specific needs that arose. But my prayers were inconsistent and were more focused on their protection from harm than on their knowing and becoming more like Christ.

So I got to researching! I spent days searching for ideas of what exactly to pray for each of them.

And frankly, it was overwhelming. There are so. many. things. that you can pray for your family.

So I narrowed it down, for now, to ten things to pray for each of them every morning. Of course, this isn’t all that I’ll pray for them. But I felt these things were very significant for each of them and important to pray for on a daily basis.

I also nailed down some Bible verses to assist me in praying for each attribute. (If you’re brand new to prayer, be sure to read this post first to learn the basics of how to pray.)

Things to Pray For Your Spouse

For wisdom

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17, ESV

For strength

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:16

For courage, and absence of fear or anxiety

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

To daily wear the full armor of God

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:11-18

To produce fruit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a

For a strong marriage

“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

To be a good father

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

For godly friendships

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20

For mental, emotional, and physical health

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2

For protection

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Things to Pray For Your Children

For salvation

“He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:8

For protection

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

For mental, emotional, and physical health

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2

To produce fruit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a

For courage

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

For strength

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

For peace, and absence of fear or anxiety

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

For wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

For direction for their future

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” Colossians 1:9

For provision

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

A Few Things to Keep in Mind When You Pray For Your Family

First, practice patience. You may not see immediate results.

This is really true of any prayer. When I was in high school, I kept a list of classmates in a notebook. And every single day, I would pray for each of them, asking God for their salvation.

Two years later? I was graduating and hadn’t seen a single one of them come to know God. I was discouraged and felt as if God wasn’t listening.

But a few years after that, I saw one, then another, and another accept Christ into their lives. Today, the majority of them know God and are raising their children to know Him too.

Remember that God works in His timing, not ours. In the meantime, keep raising up those prayers!

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4

Second, pray for your family continually, no matter what the circumstances.

It’s God’s will for your life! “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And finally, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray, even when we don’t have the words.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26

No matter how you do it, pray for your family.

It’s important, crucial even, that you consistently pray for your family. Your prayers may not be answered immediately but just. keep. praying. and trust that the Holy Spirit will help you, even when you don’t have the right words.

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