Praising God Almighty
Just as David praised you as God Almighty in front of his whole kingdom, we also praise you as the one and only eternal God. You are great in power and glory, and in splendor and majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Our lives and families are yours, Lord, and we pray that you are praised as the leader of our steps and the King of our hearts. Riches and honor come from you; you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand; you give greatness and strength. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, preserve our passionate desire to serve you and to serve others. Give our children undivided hearts that are fully dedicated to you so they will seek your wisdom and carry out your plan. We give you thanks and praise your glorious name. (David’s Prayer: 1 Chronicles 29:10-20)
Experience God’s Power
Jesus, awake your resurrection power in the hearts and minds of our adult kids. When Lazarus died, you were troubled by your own grief and troubled by the confusion you saw in others. By the time you arrived at his tomb, it was already filled with the stench of death and still you raised your face to heaven and thanked God in advance for the miracle that was about to take place. Your words defeated death and brought Lazarus out of the tomb, fully alive. At that moment you chose LIFE for him. Right now, we claim that resurrection power for our kids. Where their minds, bodies, or souls are being choked by darkness, bring new light and life to their souls. We raise our faces to you, just as Jesus did, and thank you in advance for your saving power. (John 11:33-40, John 11:41-44, Romans 6:4)
Protection from Evil
Jesus, when you were tempted in the desert the enemy twisted truth from scripture to try to confuse you, and he does the same thing to our kids. He whispers things that seem right and good but only lead to spiritual and emotional death. Please flood their minds with your Spirit of Truth so they will recognize deception before doing anything that harms themselves or others. Open their eyes to the danger of lustful thoughts and actions so their relationships will be protected and remain pure. Lord, please hear us and bring victory over evil. Help us to trust you completely with our adult kids and to remember that you are the only one who can truly protect them. Fill them with this knowledge so they will turn to you for help when they face spiritual battles of all sorts and trust you as their only deliverer. (Matthew 4, Matthew 5:27-28, Psalm 20:6-8.)
Desire to Know God
Dear Lord, you promise to pour your Spirit into the lives of those who humble themselves. Cause our adult kids to recognize their need for you; humble them to see that no earthly possession, relationship, accomplishment, or activity will ever satisfy their deepest desires. Where earthly things have become idols, bring our kids to their senses so they know that there will never be peace, hope, or a true sense of worth apart from you. When making decisions about daily life and priorities, prompt them to pray. Your Word says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” May this be true of our kids and may they experience answered prayer in a way that causes them to rise up and stand firm in their faith. Where their hearts have become hard, humble them so they will never be ashamed of the gospel. Instead, may they find strength and power and purpose in your salvation. (Joel 2:28, Psalm 20:7-9, Romans 1:16)
Healthy Relationships
We pray that the relationships of our adult kids will overflow with Godly love. As spouses, parents, employees, and friends, may their words and actions be examples of your grace, patience, and kindness. Instead of being harsh or rude when they are frustrated, may their mouths be filled with life-giving words that teach and encourage others. Where our kids are being mistreated by others, give them the strength to say, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing,” and then give them the wisdom and strength to either speak truth or stay silent. In marriage, may our daughters find joy and purpose in submitting to the leadership of their husbands. As they do this, may their husbands respond with gentleness and kindness – loving and protecting their wives as you love and protect your church. (1 Corinthians 13:4, Ephesians 4:26-27, Luke 23:34, Colossians 3:18-19)
Financial Peace
Isaac planted crops that reaped a hundredfold because you blessed him and he became wealthy. We pray for our adult kids to experience financial blessing as well, as they strive to be good stewards of their money and material things. Your word says, “Whoever loves money never has enough.” Protect our kids from greed, Father, so they will have sincere gratitude for everything they have and never feel defeated by discontentment. By your Holy Spirit, motivate them to work hard every day – not just to accumulate possessions, but to provide for their needs and to bless others. Most of all, help them to honor you with their finances and help us to be Godly examples of good stewardship – honoring you with how we manage money and prioritizing our earthly treasures. (Genesis 26:12-14, Ecclesiastes 5:10)
Live with Hope and Purpose
Dear Jesus, your Word brings encouragement and hope for the future, so we pray that your Holy Spirit will prompt our adult kids to read the Bible and to use it as a tool for making decisions. May they fall in love with your Truth and walk into the future with a strong sense of purpose as they draw near to you. Open their eyes to anyone causing them to wander away from you and from anything robbing them of hope. Please give them the strength to reject anything that isn’t your best for them. May they see the future with pure eyes and a peaceful heart, free from anxious thoughts, so they will hear your voice directing their steps. Where they feel “stuck” in any situation, penetrate their minds with the desire to press on with diligent and grateful hearts as they wait for you to lead them to something better. (Romans 15:4, Psalm 139:19-24, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Wisdom for Parenting
Father, whether our kids are the parents of toddlers or teenagers –or they haven’t become parents yet- please make them powerfully aware of the importance of raising their children with the knowledge that you are their creator, you are their wisdom for life, and you are their hope for eternity. The Bible says that the reward for this type of parenting is the assurance that their children will be grounded in Truth, always returning to you no matter how far they stray. You promise that discipline leads to a harvest of righteousness and peace, so teach our kids to follow through on what they say – never speaking empty threats or ignoring disobedience. And as they discipline, may their words be seasoned with grace so our grandkids begin to understand that they receive discipline for their good and because they are deeply loved. (Proverbs 22:6, Hebrews 12:11, James 2:13)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power at work in us, to him be glory…throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 20-21)
KRISTI is the author of the Before books and coloring books for children and the Your Soul To Keep one-year prayer book for parents of adults. She writes to inspire parents and grandparents to shine the joy of Jesus into the lives of their families and to laugh without fear of the future (Proverbs 31:25). She and her husband Tim live in Iowa where they love doing life with their sons and daughters-in-law, six grandbabies, and two very spoiled dogs.