How to Start Praying Scripture Over Your Children Tonight

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Parenting is hard. As parents, we have been given the important task of praying Scripture over our children. Here are some ideas to get you started.

We do pray with our children. Sometimes that includes praying Scripture with them. Our nighttime routine usually consists of 2 to 3 books, one being {these links are affiliate links} The Jesus Storybook Bible or The Big Picture Story Bible, prayer, and a song. But in the past, praying Scripture consistently over our children hasn't happened.

But that has to change. Our children need to have God's Word hidden in their hearts. Even at a young age, they need to know that we battle daily to keep Jesus on the throne. We need to equip them to be ready for battle with Scripture.

Tips for Praying Scripture Over Your Children

To be honest, I need to be reminded of those truths. Our hearts are idol factories. We've all seen it. Fighting over a toy, throwing a fit because they wanted the reddest red apple, not the slightly red apple, crying because they didn't get something at the exact second they wanted it. We do it too. It just looks different. We might not outwardly lay on the ground screaming, but inwardly we're throwing the same fit. But that's a whole different post.

One week in a Bible Study, the teacher told us that she always prayed over her children with Scripture. She now prays over her granddaughter when they speak on the phone. Although her children are not all pursuing the Lord at this time, she laid the foundation at home. Her children know the truths of Scripture. When life gets hard, God brings to their minds the Scriptures their mama taught them as children. Not just stories they learned in Sunday School, truth they were taught at home.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is very clear about this, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Where Do You Begin Praying Over Your Children?

I know that when I first was convicted about this, the whole thing was overwhelming. I began asking other Mommy's I respected for their input. It doesn't have to be overwhelming. Start small. Before you know it, it will become a way of life. When you forget to pray the verse over your child, they will remind you.

Start with praying that God would reveal to you a specific verse for your child(ren), as we did here. Maybe it's a family verse, like a family mission statement. Place that in your child's bedroom or someplace you can see during times you are together as a family.

You can also pick one Scripture that you say to them every night before bed, or every morning at breakfast. Even after you have gotten everyone in the car before you take the car out of the park.

Put them up around your house. You can use vinyl to put them on walls in the Living Room, Kitchen, Bedrooms, over doorways. Notecards by the sink, mirrors, cabinets, refrigerator, in the car. Put them in places you see often. Then you can read them over and over again to yourself or out loud as a family.

Scriptures for Praying Over Your Children

Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Mark 12:30-33

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Psalm 86:11

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”

Zephaniah 3:17

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Philippians 2:3-5

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 6:1

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”

Specific Ways for Praying Scripture Over for Our Children

Dear Jesus,

I pray that you would call insert child's name into your Kingdom. I pray that no one and nothing would stop them from answering your call.

Matthew 19:14-15 “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’. And He laid His hands on them and went away.”

I pray that insert child's name would respond in faith to Jesus’ faithful, persistent call.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

I pray that each member of our family will individually experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will desire more and more to fulfill the greatest commandments.

Matthew 22:37-39 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.”

I pray that, as insert child's name grows, we are able to train insert child's name’s heart well, instead of just changing their behavior.

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you…you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean!”

I pray that we will boldly share the gospel.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

I pray that when the time is right, insert child's name will GO.

Matthew 28:18-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And, behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I pray that our thoughts and conversations as a family will be pure.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, think about such things.”

I pray that insert child's name will not be entangled in intimate relationships with unbelievers, especially in marriage.

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

I pray that for all our days, our family will seek the TRUE treasures of knowing Christ & following hard after Him.

Colossians 2:2b-3 “…resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom have hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

I hope these have given you some ideas of how to incorporate Scripture in your home to encourage and given you tips for praying over your children. Please remember that these are not a magic formula. Simply a stepping stone to help get you started. Something I wish I had when I was looking.

Do you have others you would like to add? Other ideas? Please leave them in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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8 Comments

  1. This is wonderful! I have an 8 and 10 year old and I pray out loud over them each night, and when I am not exhausted and distracted I try to pray specifically for their areas of strength and areas where they are tempted and I often (even still) sing scripture over them (For I am convinced and Micah 7:7). This is great. Gave me food for thought. This is something I think I could begin to implement.

    1. Thanks for stopping by! It’s definitely an area where the Lord was convicting me and I needed easy steps to implement. Our children are daily in a spiritual battle for their little hearts and it’s our job as their parents to equip them for that battle.

  2. This is good. I have 6 kids ages 28, 25, 24, 8, 6, and 4. 4 grandkids ages 6, 4, 4, and 9 months old. At this point I’ve been a little all over the place if not praying at all, just overwhelmed. Thank you 🙂

    1. Thank you, Salena! It is so important to pray for our children and our grandchildren, but I know life can get in the way. I’m glad you find the post helpful!

  3. Thank you for your post and honesty of how it can be overwhelming in the beginning but so important to do! I’ve been a little overwhelmed of knowing where to start praying for my kids and even what it looks like to use scripture to pray over them. Thank you so much for your examples and information!

    1. Thank you for your kind words, Leslie. It is overwhelming. Some seasons are more overwhelming than others. But praying Scripture over our children is so important. I’m so glad you found the post encouraging. Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Thank you!!!! I’ve been wanting to start with this and no idea where to start…thank you!!!

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