31 Days of Prayers for Wandering Children
Have there ever been times when you feel too overwhelmed to know how to pray for your spiritually wandering loved ones? Perhaps you don’t know the right words. Maybe you are losing hope. I’ve created this Scripture-based 31 Days of Prayers for Wandering Children as a resource for weary parents. Please feel free to pass it along to anyone who might benefit from it! And don’t forget to check out my new devotional Incurable Faith: 120 Devotions of Lasting Hope for Lingering Health Issues. Every devotion includes a suggested worship song, go-to Scriptures, and prayers.
Suggested Use: Pray each prayer on the corresponding day of the month. Feel free to use it as a starting place before praying specific prayers for the beloved children in your life.
Out of your glorious riches please strengthen my children with power through Your Spirit in their inner beings so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. (See Ephesians 3:16)
Lord, help my children to live a life worthy of the calling they have received. (See Ephesians 4:1)
Keep my children from idolatry so they will have an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. (See Ephesians 5:5)
Lord, You have seen my children’s ways, but You will heal them; You will guide them and restore comfort to them. Thank you that You will create praise on the lips of those who mourn. Bring peace and restoration to my children, Lord. (See Isaiah 57:18-19)
Lord, open eyes that are blind, free the captives from prison, and release from the dungeon my children who sit in darkness. Though they have fallen, they will rise. Lord, send forth Your light and your faithful care and lead them to the place where You dwell. (See Isaiah 42:7, Micah 7:8, and Psalm 43:3)
Jesus, I ask you to bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Bring those who have wandered and are in captivity back to Yourself. You, Lord, have called them by your name. You created them for your glory. You formed and made them! Bring them back to Yourself. When you act and deliver, who can reverse it? Make a way for them, Jesus. Open their spiritual eyes and restore their sight, Lord. (See Isaiah 43:6-7,13)
Lord, I fear Your name. You are my secure fortress. May you become a mighty refuge for my children and their descendants. (See Proverbs 14:26)
Lord, “Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many days as we've seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to (our) children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us.” (See Psalm 90:15-17)
Lord, lead the blind by ways they have not known. Guide my children along unfamiliar paths- turn their darkness into light before them and make their rough places smooth. Do not forsake them, Lord. Destroy their idols and draw them to Yourself according to your loving kindness. Lord, forgive their sins and heal their diseases. Pour out your mercy upon my children today, Jesus. (See Isaiah 42:16-17)
Lord, blot out my children’s transgressions for Your sake- remember their sins no more. You formed them in the womb- You will help them. Pour out Your Spirit on my offspring, Lord- pour out Your blessing on my descendants. Let them say, “I belong to the Lord.” (See Isaiah 43:25 and 44:2-5)
Lord, Your Word says, “Bad company corrupts good character,” so please help my children to choose godly friends. Help them to come back to their spiritual senses, acquire wisdom, discernment, and stop living sinful lives. (See 1 Corinthians 15:33-34)
Jesus, please choose to reveal the Father to my children. Let them come to You, listen to Your voice, and follow You. (See Matthew 11:27 and John 10:25)
Lord, thank you for longing to be gracious to my children. You rise to show them compassion. Be gracious to them- answer them when they cry for help! They have tasted the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but You promise to send them teachers. Please teach my children. Help them to discern truth from error. Whether they turn to the right or the left, let their ears hear a voice behind them saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Enable and strengthen them to throw away their idols and cast off every yoke. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (See Isaiah 30:18-21)
Lord all the ends of the earth will remember You and turn to You. All the families of the nations will bow down before You. Please call my children to Yourself. Jesus, please keep them in the love of the Father. Grant salvation to my children so they will bow before You in this life. Keep them from falling and present them before Your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. (See Jude 1:1, 24 and Psalm 22:27)
Lord, let the sincere faith that first lived in me live in my children. (See 2 Timothy 1:5)
Lord, draw my children back to You. Reach out with your shepherd’s crook and pull them out of danger and back to Yourself. Enfold them in Your arms and hold them like lambs, close to Your heart. Care for my children, Lord. Be their shepherd and carry them forever. (See Psalm 28:9 and Isaiah 40:11)
Lord, answer my prayers so our children will know that You, Lord are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again. (See 1 Kings 18:37)
Do not remember the sins of my children’s youth and their rebellious ways; according to Your love remember them, for You, Lord, are good. (See Psalm 25:7)
Lord, please keep Your promises to our children because of Your righteousness, not because of ours- keep Your promises because of Your great mercy. (See Daniel 9:4)
Lord, You promised that if we raise our children in the way they should go when they are old, they will not depart from it. They are departing, so turn their hearts back to you. Return them to the Lord God, for you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding and lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Forgive their sins and heal their diseases. According to Your love, remember the children of Your servants, Lord. (See Proverbs 22:6 and Joel 2:13)
Lord, I delight in Your commands. Please bless my children to live mightily in the land and to honor You in this generation. Lord, Your Word says, “The children of your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You.” I am Your servant, Lord. Let my children live fully and eternally in your presence. Establish our descendants for Your glory, Lord. May it be done according to Your will. Amen (See Psalms 102:28 and 112:1-2)
Lord, thank you for revealing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Your Word says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” Help us to follow You, Lord. Help my children to hear Your Word and learn to fear God and follow You. (See John 14:6, Deuteronomy 29:29 and 31:13)
Please circumcise my heart and the hearts of my children and our descendants so we may love You with all our hearts and with all our souls and live. Help my children to love the Lord, walk in His ways, keep his commands, and live. (See Deuteronomy 30:6,16)
Jesus, You are the way the truth and the life. Please help my children to choose life so they may live for eternity. May they love the Lord, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. May Jesus become my children's life. (See John 14:6 and Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
May my children be blessed in the city and blessed in the country, blessed when they come in and blessed when they go out. Grant them abundant prosperity and the wisdom to serve You joyfully and gladly in their prosperity. (See Deuteronomy 28:3, 28:6, 28:11, and 28:47)
Lord, help my children to be people of integrity who fear God more than most. May they grow powerful in faith, calling, and influence because they walk steadfastly before the Lord their God. (See Nehemiah 7:2 and 2 Chronicles 27:6)
There are ways that seem right to people, but in the end, they lead to destruction. Lord, help my children to walk through the narrow gate and to trust You, relying not on their own reasoning or understanding, but acknowledging that Your ways and thoughts are higher than theirs. Keep their paths straight as they follow after You, Lord. (See Proverbs 3:3-5 and14:12, Matthew 7:13, Isaiah 55:8-9)
Lord, help my children to forsake rebellious ways and any thought that dishonors You. Let them turn to Jesus, so You will have mercy on them, and to our God, for You will freely forgive them and set them free. (See Isaiah 55:7)
Lord, help my children to obey You, accept correction, trust You, and draw near to You. (See Zephaniah 3:2)
A Prayer for Parents, part one: Lord, help me to abide in You through obedience and love for You. Please grant discernment and wisdom so I will make the most of every opportunity to share the reason for my hope with my children. May our conversations be filled with grace and seasoned with life-preserving truth.
A Prayer for Parents, part two: Teach me how to share Your truth with gentleness and respect and to instruct my children about You through my life and actions. Grant me opportunities to share Your Word instead of my words- because Your Word is not idle. It is my life. It will not return void but will accomplish what You desire and achieve the purpose for which You send it. Quicken my heart and mind to recall Your Word so I may share it with love and gentleness when my children need to receive it. Thank You for loving my children even more than I love them, Lord. Save my children; be their shepherd and carry them forever. (See John 14:6 and15:9, Deuteronomy 32: 47, Ephesians 15:16, Colossians 4:5-6, 1 Peter 3:15, Isaiah 55:11, and Psalm 28:9)
*Photo credit: Unsplash @grakosy
