The 5 Best Prayers I Ever Prayed for My Kids (No Matter How Old They Get)

As a little girl I remember folding my hands, bowing my head and talking to God. I’ve always prayed.

But I haven’t always prayed well. Or enough.

Sometimes I still don’t.

Can you relate?

But I do know this: my prayers matter and so do yours. Especially for those we love.

In all honesty, my husband is a much better pray-er than me, especially for our kids. While I tend to pray for their immediate concerns, he’s always prayed for their long-term character. I’ll pray “help them do well”, he’ll pray “help them do right.” Prayers for success aren’t bad; they just aren’t enough.

Over the years I’ve prayed some prayers repeatedly. Of course I shoot up arrow prayers fairly often (“Help him now!” “Keep her safe”). What mom doesn’t? But there’ve been a few prayers I’ve prayed over sustained periods of time. These are the keepers.

Here are the five best prayers I ever prayed for my kids. They might be the five best prayers you can pray for your kids, too (no matter how old they are):

1. Help her choose to do right, even if everyone else chooses wrong.

When our middle daughter Kylie, was just a little thing I began praying this prayer for her every night. It was our bedtime ritual to tuck the kids in, read a story (or two or three, or…) then say our prayers. We’d let the kids pray first, then JP or I would pray for them, out loud, so they could hear. I honestly don’t know why I started praying this prayer. Looking back, I’m glad I did.

When Kylie was nine she was invited to a sleepover where her friends planned on watching a questionable movie. Long story short, Kylie didn’t watch. Her willingness to stand up against peer pressure so impressed her friend’s parents they recounted the story for me. On the way home from the sleepover I told Kylie how proud I was of her. I’ll never forget her response:

“Mom, of course I wouldn’t watch the movie.”

“You wouldn’t? Why not?”

“Because I just did what you’ve been praying for me every night of my life.”

“What do you mean?” (Honestly, I didn’t clue in)

“You know, Mom, when you put me to bed at night the last thing you always pray is ‘and Lord, please help Kylie choose to do right, even if every one around her chooses wrong.”’

Do my kids always make the choice to do right, even if every one around them chooses wrong?

Of course not  They’re human (like their mom). Please don’t think we escaped the household drama that comes when a child makes a poor choice. We’ve had our share of trials and tears like every other family on earth.

But they’ve made right choices more often than wrong choices, which is why this prayer tops my list.

2. Help them love You even more than I love You

This is the prayer I am most glad I prayed.

Everything hinges on this prayer. Everything. I figure if my kids love God even more than I do, they’ll make better choices, they’ll be more loving, they’ll impact their generation more fully. They’ll be stronger. Braver. Kinder. Wiser. They’ll be better people than I’ll ever dream of being, which is exactly what I want for them.

This is a prayer I’ll never stop praying no matter how old they get.

3. Give her strong Christian friends who are really fun, too

I started praying this prayer when Kylie was in high school. In fact, we prayed it together each night (our bedtime ritual stayed the same, even as our kids grew—minus the stories)

A few middle school friends had taken some wrong turns, leaving her without a group to call “hers.” This launched a season of feeling left out and lonely (which can happen if you have a child who doesn’t go along with the crowd—see prayer #1). As anyone who’s ever lived through the teenage years knows, friends are crucial. So we began to pray.

I prayed a similar prayer for our youngest daughter, Ashton, but for a slightly different reason; While Kylie was black and white in her convictions, Ashton was a grey area kind of kid. In fact, when Ashton tried out for the soccer team this is what I prayed verbatim:

Lord, please help her make the team. But more than wanting her to make the team, I want her to be with friends who’ll bring out the best in her, not the worst. So Lord, put her with the right group of kids.

Ashton didn’t make the team. Believe me, we had tears and sadness in our house. Her heart broke and mine broke for her. But as a result, she reinvented herself in a new sport and make a whole new group of friends.

4. Bring him/her someone who loves You fully and will love him/her deeply, for their whole life.

Deep down in my heart I didn’t think they’d actually grow up.

But they did.

Two of our kids got married in the last year and a half. One is in college. Who our kids choose as a life partner is the most important decision they’ll ever make. And boy, I’m glad JP and I prayed for their partners – even before makeup and hormones and shaving became a thing in our house.

5. Grant him wisdom and success

This is a prayer I’ve prayed countless times for all my kids and for JP, too. Of course we all want our kids to succeed, but success without wisdom is fleeting (if you don’t believe me, think about Ryan Lochte or Lindsey Lohan). But if wisdom locks hands with success, the result is deep satisfaction.

These five prayers have shaped me and my family. What prayers have shaped you and yours?  Leave a comment. I’d love to know!