Fatherhood brings its fair share of joys and privileges, but, with each joy and privilege, comes a great responsibility as the spiritual leader of your home. For example, you have the privilege to pray for your family and lead them spiritually. And that privilege comes with an awesome responsibility of bringing your family’s concerns to the God of the universe.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

The Nature of Prayer

Before you can really learn to pray for your family, you need to understand what prayer is all about. Thankfully, it’s not as complicated as we make it. In a nutshell, prayer is simply talking with God. It’s speaking with Him the way you speak to a friend.

Of course, God is more than your friend. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Entering His presence to pray for family members (or anything else) is not something we do flippantly. We come to Him with the reverence and respect He deserves. But He has made it clear that He wants us to come to Him boldly, not afraid to share our hearts with the One who cares more for us and our family than we can imagine (Hebrews 4:14-16).

We also need to remember that prayer is a conversation, not a dialogue. Yes, we tell God about our needs as we pray for our family members and other concerns. But we also need to take time to be still and to listen. While God often speaks through His Word, He also can speak through the quiet moments of prayer if we will take the time to listen.

Become a praying father. Explore our YouVersion Reading Plan on prayer.

4 Powerful Ways to Pray for Your Family

As a husband and father, you can pray for your family. You can pray for your wife, and you can pray for your kids. In fact, God expects that from you. 

Now, that might raise the question of “how” in your mind, especially if prayer isn’t a normal part of your spiritual practice. Honestly, if you’re not a “praying man,” this is the perfect time to start—and praying for your family members is a perfect way to start. 

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them what we call the “Model Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13). It provides a basic outline for coming to God with our needs, and it’s a pretty good guide as you develop the habit of praying for family members. I’ve broken it down into four sections that can apply to your wife and children.

1. Pray for Spiritual Growth. (Matthew 6:9-10)

 Jesus told His disciples to start their prayers with a recognition of who God is. He resides in heaven and His name is to be honored above all else. He also urged them to pray that God’s kingdom would continue to expand and be made known on earth. We’ve all heard the phrase “heaven on earth.” Jesus meant that literally, not just figuratively. 

When it comes to prayers for family members, you can ask God to help them know Him better each day. You can pray that they will be strong and confident in their faith. You can ask Him to use them for His kingdom purposes—to help them become the people He created them to be.

2. Pray for Physical Needs (Matthew 6:11)

 Jesus assured His followers that it was perfectly fine to ask for their “daily bread.” Those are the basic needs of life. Whether we realize it or not, even the simplest things are gracious gifts from the hand of God. So, it makes sense to ask Him to meet those needs.

In praying for your wife and kids, you can ask the Lord to meet them where they are. You may know some of their needs. In fact, they might be your needs as well. But you might not know them all. Bring them to the Lord anyway. He provides “daily bread.”

3. Pray for Healthy Relationships (Matthew 6:12)

Consistency does not mean perfection. You’ll never get everything right 100% of the time. But your kids aren’t expecting you to be perfect anyway. They just want you to live with integrity. They want your words to match your actions, and they want you to set an example they can follow. Anything else robs them of security and erodes your effectiveness as a spiritual leader.

4. Pray for Divine Protection (Matthew 6:13)

As a Christ follower, you know that you’re in a spiritual war. As a husband and dad, you understand how the home often can be a battlefield in that war. God calls you to pray for family members because they are under attack from an enemy that wants to destroy them and your family (John 10:10).

Jesus challenged His disciples to ask the Father to deliver them from evil. He urged them to pray for their protection—and for the protection of their brothers and sisters. That’s a responsibility you share with them. You need to pray for God’s shelter and protection over the people living under your roof.

Pray for Yourself

Hopefully, you realize the importance of praying for your family members. But it’s also important to pray for yourself. One of the best ways you can serve your family is by becoming the husband and father God has created you to be. As you pray that He makes you more like Him, you are praying a blessing for your family.

You also need to pray with confidence. God has promised to answer any prayer that aligns with His Word and His will. Learning to pray for family members falls into both categories. These are prayers that God will hear and accept.

He is faithful, and you can count on Him.

Are you ready to be the dad God called you to be? Take the Godly Father Assessment to see how you’re doing and where you can improve as a father!