How to Pray for Your Adult Children | Six Bible Verses to Use

Empty Nest Blessed by Suzy Mighell
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woman sitting in a blue and white gingham chair dressed in a pink monogrammed pullover and white jeans holding a pink and white coffee cup and with a bible and a journal in her lap praying for her adult children

When our children leave the nest, fear and anxiety can set in for us as parents. It did for me! Somehow when they were home, I felt that I had some control. (As if!) But when they left home, any semblance of any control I even thought I had was gone. And I became fearful. Fearful for their physical safety, fearful about their ability to make wise choices, and most of all, fear that they wouldn’t stay faithful to the Lord.

I don’t know about you, but personally, I find that my fear is rooted in a lack of faith, and I know from Romans 10:17 that “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). My fears dissipate when I spend time in the Word, and when I pray actual Bible verses for my adult children. I love the idea of praying Scripture for our children (or anyone, for that matter) because we know without a doubt that we are aligning our prayers with the will of God for them. Here are the six passages I come back to again and again as I pray for my adult children.

1. Ephesians 1:17-19

As a mother, I want to pray that the Lord would give my children the Spirit of wisdom and revelation of him, that the eyes of their hearts would be opened so that they will know and cherish the hope to which he has called them; the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people); and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in their lives, in accordance with the working of his mighty strength.

2. Colossians 1:9-12

I like this model of prayer from Paul! He prays specifically that those in the church at Colossae would be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Why does he pray this? So that they will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, please him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in their knowledge of him. He also prays that they would be strengthened with all power, for endurance, patience (with joy!). Finally, he prays that they would give thanks to the Lord, who was the one who qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints.

3. Philippians 4:19

Our kids will be needy, and as empty nesters, we can’t be there to meet their needs the way we could when they were younger. We have to give up control. (Not that we had it in the first place!) We have to give them over fully to the Lord. I want my kids to remember that my God will supply every need of theirs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

4. Micah 6:8

This is our family verse. We want our children – no matter what their age – to remember that the Lord has told us what is good and what He requires of us: to be just, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.

5. Proverbs 4:23

It seems like a gross understatement to say that this world is a challenging place to be! I want my kids to guard their hearts diligently. Everything we do and say flows out of our hearts. (See Luke 6:45 and Proverbs 27:19)

6. Hebrews 10:24

I want my kids to be leaders, pointing others to faith. So I pray that (through their words and their example) they would encourage others to love and good deeds.

I renewed my commitment to pray faithfully for my kids this year. What sparked it was when a friend of mine told me that since her kids had left home, her weapon of choice in their lives had become prayer. What she meant was that in the absence of her physical presence with her children (and thus the reduced ability to counsel and guide them), she had fully committed herself to support and love them through the power of prayer (Ephesians 6:18).

Helpful Resources When Praying For Adult Children

I’ve embraced my friend’s words and taken them to heart, finding great encouragement from the book, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children, by Stormie Omartian. Omartian packed this little book full of Scripture and prayers to pray right from the Word. It’s a great resource. If you’re a grandparent, you’ll want to check out Omartian’s book, The Power of a Praying Grandparent. It will help you as you pray for your precious grands, and I think it would make the most wonderful gift for a brand new grandparent!

I’ve also loved the daily scripture and devotional book Prayers of Blessing Over My Adult Children by Bruce Wilkinson and Heather Hair. The authors utilize a three-step guided prayer method based on the pattern of prayer set out in Scripture. It’s a user-friendly how-to guide, and it’s a wonderful resource whether prayer is new to you, or you are an experienced prayer warrior.

Blessing Your Grown Children: Affirming, Helping, and Establishing Boundaries by Debra Evans is the book I always recommend to parents who are struggling to release their children. Finally, the book Prayers for Prodigals: 90 Days of Prayer for Your Child by James Banks was recommended by an Empty Nest Blessed follower as a helpful resource for those who are disappointed by the choices their adult children are making, and struggling with their own guilt.

Helpful Resources For Parenting Adult Children

Practically speaking, there is another resource that has really helped us understand our adult children, love them well, and communicate effectively with them. It’s The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Technically written about marriage, the book explains that all of us show and receive love in different ways. To love another person well, it’s critical to understand how they best receive love. Chapman has also written versions of this book targeting children, singles, teens, and more. You can see them all HERE. Even if you’re not married, this book will revolutionize the way you think about all of your relationships, from the family to the workplace!

I’ve written several posts on parenting adult children! If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy these:

How do you pray for your adult children? Do you pray Scripture, like I do? What verses do you pray? I would love to know! Please share with me in the comments below.

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16 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing these verses that you pray for your children! My daughters are 20 and 18, and as they leave the nest, I want to continue covering them in prayer. You’ve touched on some wonderful areas of their lives that it will be helpful to pray Scripture over for them.

    1. Tracey,

      I’m so glad the post was helpful to you! Your children will be so blessed by your faithfulness to pray for them. Thank you so much for sharing your sweet comment!

      xoxo
      Suzy

    2. Thank you so much for this post. Praying scripture is such a powerful blessing to those you are praying for.
      My husband and I have three adult children, two have moved into their own place. This was such a blessing to me.

  2. Thank you Suzy! This was an awesome post! I love the idea of using actual verses. I pray daily for my children but I am going to incorporate your ideas in! Thank you for all you do. You are always so helpful.

  3. Awesome words and thoughts. I have been reading Stormiest Omartian’s book, The power of Praying for Your Adult Children. I am going to renew my commitment to praying for all of my adult children and spouses. That’s the best gift I could give them. Thanks for sharing. Your Instagram is always so cheerful which is what we all need.

  4. I love these verses and praying God’s Word over our children is powerful! Thank you for sharing this vital advice! Press on sister!

  5. A friend shared this resource with me and I have shared it with at least a dozen women,
    Prayers for Prodigals 90 Days of prayer for Your Child by James Banks. These are actual prayers to encourage the parent of challenging prodigal children. Its a blessing when someone else helps you find the words and to understand that you are not alone. It is all scripture based and full of assurances.

  6. Kathi,

    Thank you, thank you for sharing this book! (Here’s the link if anyone is interested: https://amzn.to/3a6VY4b) I get so many requests for resources to help with this very issue, and I never had the perfect one to recommend before! I’m so grateful for your recommendation and am going to add it into this post if you don’t mind. Bless you!

    xoxo
    Suzy

  7. Hi I need help with my Adults children and my grandchildren. I don’t know what to said anymore But Lord help me.and I done all I can do.Lord today is the day I need your loving arm around me get through these hard time.Father help me with my children and my grandchildren. Lord help me to be what you want me to be.Lord my back is against the wall.I don’t know what to say anymore Help me Father In The Name Of Jesus Christ Amen

  8. I am thankful for the verses God gave you to share —- my husband and I have been married 4 yrs now and he has two adult children and I have two adult children and we have two grandsons!! I want to have deeper pray time for them and verses to share!!! Thank you!!

    1. LoRae,

      I’m so happy that this post was a blessing to you! That thrills me! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.

      Wow! You guys have your hands full. What a blessed bunch they are to have you on your knees for them.

      xoxo
      Suzy

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