Raising a family can be challenging. There are the physical struggles of providing for them, and protecting them, and there are the spiritual struggles, as we raise them in a world that challenges the faith that we want to nurture in them.
As Christians we don’t have to do it alone.
When you invite Jesus into your family you have access to all the resources of heaven to call on as well.
God’s Word is powerful, and it says that the prayers of the righteous person are powerful and effective (James 5:16).
As we pray scripture God promises that it will accomplish His purposes and prosper (Isaiah 55:11).
Here are 15 scriptures you can pray for your family.
Give Thanks
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
Thank You Lord for our family and for the precious gift You have given us in our children. May we each grow in our love for You and bring honor to You in our lives.
Declare Who You Will Serve
Joshua 24:1
If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.
Lord, we come before You today and we declare that we belong to You, and that we, as a family, choose to serve You this day.
Be an Example
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and 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 up. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.
Help us Lord, as parents, to teach our children about who You are and about all that You have done for us, help us to be good examples to our children as followers of You.
Protection
Psalm 121
I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Yahweh is your keeper. Yahweh is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. Yahweh will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. Yahweh will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
Thank You Lord that You are our protector and that You are always watching over us. Watch over our home and protect us today as a family as we go about our day, protect us from the evil one and keep us from harm.
Wisdom
James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Lord, You have promised Your wisdom to all who ask for it. We ask for Your wisdom today in all decisions that we make today for our family, and for the individual choices we each have to make today. Help us to not make hasty decisions and choices without first asking You for wisdom and guidance.
Guidance
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.
Lord, we thank You that You have promised to guide, instruct, counsel and teach us. We ask for Your guidance today in all areas of our family, our decisions, and our relationships. Show us the way to take, help us to walk in Your ways and may our decisions bring honor to You.
Strength
Isaiah 40:31
Those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
Thank You Lord that You promise to strengthen us, especially when we are feeling weak and tired. We ask for Your strength today for the tasks ahead that we will run and not be weary, and walk and not faint, and bring honor to You in all that we do.
Discipline
1 Corinthians 9:25-27
Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air, but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
Lord, help us each to be people of discipline, in our work, in our studies, with our health, in our spiritual lives, and to exercise self-control where it is needed.
Courage
2 Timothy 1:7
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
Thank You Lord that You have not given us a spirit of fear, help us each to walk in Your courage, to not be afraid, and to know Your power, Your love, and Your self-control in every part of our lives.
Empowerment
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
Thank You Lord that You live in us, and that Your power is greater than anything we see in the world. We ask Holy Spirit that You would empower us, both individually, and as a family, to live our lives in a way that honors You. Give us strength to overcome temptation and to remember that You have already won the victory, and that You are greater than any struggle, any problem, or any temptation.
Peace
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
Lord, we ask that You would bless each member of our family with Your peace, soak and saturate us in that peace which passes all understanding, and keep our hearts and our minds centred on You (Philippians 4:7).
Unity
1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you be like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, courteous, not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Unite us as a family Lord, help us to be like-minded, compassionate, loving and forgiving toward each other, help us to be a blessing to each other and bring glory to Your name.
Forgiveness
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Help us Lord to be kind and forgiving of each other, remembering the forgiveness that You have shown to us.
Encouragement
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
We ask Lord that You would help us to guard our tongues, help us Lord to be encouragers of each other and to use our words to build each other up and to encourage each other.
Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Thank You that the Holy Spirit lives within us. Help us Lord to allow the fruit of the Spirit to grow stronger in our lives and in our family.
As we pray for our families we can come boldly before God, knowing that, as we pray through Scripture, we are praying in line with His Will, and we can have the assurance that God is not just listening, but He will answer us.
This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
1 John 5:14-15
