Praying for your kids is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities you’ll ever have as a man and a father. And just because your kids are grown and out on their own, you still need to be speaking their name consistently to God in prayer. Praying for adult children can make a huge difference in their lives—and yours.
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“Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”
Psalm 8:2
The Need is Real
One of the key tasks of parenting is raising kids who demonstrate healthy independence. From a spiritual perspective, that involves helping them learn to follow Jesus in the real world. If you’ve taught your adult kids how to own their faith and share it with others, you have done well.
But here’s something I’ve learned as my own kids have made the transition from my home to life on their own: They never stop being my kids. As a result, I never stop praying for my adult children.
If anything, I’m praying for my adult children even more than when they were younger. For example, two of my adult kids are married, and the third is planning his wedding. I pray for them and their spouses (or future spouse) every day. Plus, my oldest and his wife have a daughter, so I’m praying for her as my granddaughter and for them as her parents.
If you’re wondering about praying for adult children in your life, think back to when you were their age. How would you have felt knowing that your parents were praying for you? Chances are, they will be just as grateful because their adult struggles are just as real as the ones you encountered all those years ago.
7 Verses to Pray for Your Adult Children
For the last several months, I’ve been experimenting with something new during my quiet times. As I read a passage, I’m spending part of my time thinking about how I can pray those verses back to God. It’s not usually a verbatim prayer, but the prayers are rooted in the ideas and the principles of the passage. It helps me focus on how God wants me to apply the truths of His Word in a meaningful way.
As you think about praying for adult children, grounding your prayers in Scripture makes a lot of sense. After all, you can never go wrong when you speak God’s Word back to Him. And the Bible is filled with great concepts that make great prayers for your adult kids.
Here are seven verses that you can adapt to your situation as you’re praying for adult children.
1) He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers—Psalm 1:3.
Every father wants his kids to thrive, to find genuine joy and meaning in life. But that only happens as they feed on God’s Word. As you’re praying for your adult children, ask God to help them grow closer to Him. Like a river feeding the roots of a tree, your kids will blossom as they grow deep and strong connections with their heavenly Father.
2) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you—Matthew 6:33
We live in a world that can be chaotic and confusing. It can be hard for young adults to recognize what matters most in life. As a praying dad, you can ask the Lord to help them keep their priorities in line. Ask Him to remind them that His kingdom is what really matters, regardless of the distractions offered by the culture.
3) Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God—Micah 6:8
One truth I’ve tried to emphasize with my kids is that God calls them to do what’s right every chance they get. That challenge also serves as a great prayer request when we’re praying for adult children. Ask God to help your adult kids to focus on His plan and the opportunities He provides each day. Pray that they find ways to do what’s right—what the Lord requires—every chance they get.
4) Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.—Philippians 2:14-15
Several years ago, I visited a father-son camp with my oldest. One night, we slept outside in an area where light pollution was not an issue. I was stunned by the sheer number of stars shining in the heavens. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought of this passage—and how I wanted my kids to shine bright enough to be seen light years away. As you’re praying for adult children in your life, ask the Lord to help them escape the trap of whining and complaining so they can shine for Him in a dark and twisted world that really needs to see Him as He is.
5) Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing—James 1:2-4
Sometimes, life is filled with more questions than answers. But one thing we know for sure is that pain and struggles are par for the course. As an adult, you’ve survived your fair share of storms. Your adult kids may not understand fully what’s heading their way. So, pray that God protects them—and teaches them—when things get rocky. Ask Him to help them look to Him in hard times and to come out “mature and complete, lacking nothing” on the other side.
6) Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.—Ephesians 6:10-11
In praying for adult children, ask the Lord to help your kids to “suit up” each day. Truth is, we live in a world marked by spiritual warfare. The battles are real because the enemies who want to destroy our faith are real. Pray that your kids will take advantage of each piece of spiritual armor God provides. Even more, pray that they will remember that, ultimately, the battle belongs to the Lord.
7) What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also—2 Timothy 2:2
My grandparents were godly folks. My parents embraced that legacy and passed it on to me. And, as a dad, I can guarantee you that there is nothing I want more than for that legacy to take root in the lives of my kids and their kids. I want Jesus to stand at the center of my family tree in every generation until He returns. That’s the prayer behind 2 Timothy 2:2. Ask God to help your adult children embrace what they’ve learned and share it with others so the chain will never be broken. Praying for adult kids helps strengthen the legacy, allowing faith to live on long after you’re gone.
Tell them and ask them
Of course, these verses are just scratching the surface when it comes to praying for adult children. As you read and study God’s Word, He will burn other passages into your heart and challenge you to pray those verses back to him on behalf of your adult kids.
But here’s two other important tips when you pray for your adult children: tell them and ask them. Let them know that you’re praying for them. This will speak volumes to them about both your love for them and your conviction related to the power of prayer. And ask them how you can pray for them. Plug into the struggles they’re facing as adults and promise to add those concerns to your prayer list.
Whether it involves verses from the Bible or requests shared in conversation, the fact that you are praying for your adult children is what matters most. Like I said, they’ll never stop being your kids. So, never stop bringing them to the Father.
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