5 Tips for Praying for Your Grandchildren

Prayer is one of the greatest long-lasting gifts we can give to our grandchildren.

Engaging with our grandchildren through the spiritual practice of prayer allows us to release to God what we cannot control ourselves, fills our hearts with compassion, and closes gaps, both generational and distance. Through prayer God invites us to bring all of our concerns about our grandchildren to Him.

Prayer is a great connector. It connects us more deeply to our grandchildren as we learn their needs and turn to God on their behalf. It connects us more intimately to God as we spend time in his presence for those we love.

Prayer is also the weapon we wield for our grandchildren as they fight the spiritual battle that rages all around (Ephesians 6:12).  Do not be deceived, they are indeed fighting a battle as Satan employs his schemes and powers toward them. Not only are our grandchildren growing up in an environment that is increasingly hostile to Christians, they are surrounded by negative influences. Truth and lies are undiscernable.

“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children,…

Lamentations 2:19a

There can be no question, our grandchildren need us to step up and stand in the gap for them. Our prayers are vital.

5 Tips for Praying for Your Grandchildren

Make the commitment

We live in an age where it is very difficult to get people (no matter their age) to commit. This is important. Worth any risk you may think is involved. Put your post in the ground for your grandchildren, make the decision, and commit.

Want to put some things in place to help you see it through?

• Write out your commitment and sign it. Then place the written commitment somewhere you will see it OFTEN.
• Share your commitment with someone else – your spouse, another grandparent, your grandchild. Nothing helps with follow-through like knowing that someone else knows of your commitment.

Make prayer a priority

We’re all busy no matter our season of life, and often we allow that busyness to get in the way of our prayers.

Consider implementing one or more of the following ideas for developing a daily habit of prayer for your grandchildren.

• Schedule your prayer time. Write it on your calendar. Perhaps a day or week devoted to prayer for each grandchild. Not a paper and pencil person? Set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to pray.
• Examine your life. Spend a few days paying attention to how your days are being spent. Then look for places where you can pray as you live – standing in the grocery line, doing the laundry, having your morning coffee, walking the dog.
• Discover a way of praying that connects with your God-designed wiring – pray as you walk outdoors, doodle as you pray.

Pray specifically

Rather than offering up vague prayers of “God bless my grandchildren” or “Please help them have a good day,” find out what’s going on in your grandchild’s life and pray about it.

• Listen when your grandchild talks with you. What needs are you hearing that you can pray for?
• Ask. Make a practice of asking your grandchild how you can pray for them. Don’t live nearby? Call, text, or email your request.
• If your grandchildren are too young to understand what you are asking or live far away and don’t have access to technology, ask their parents.

Pray Scripture

One beautiful way to pray for your grandchildren is to pray Scripture. We never have to worry about what to pray or question if it is okay to pray, when we pray Scripture.

Any passage of Scripture can be prayed by simply inserting your grandchild’s name for any pronouns or praying in response to what is being read. However, there are some Bible passages that are prayers and are a great place to start.

• Ephesians 1:15-23
• Ephesians 3:14-21
• Philippians 1:9-11
• Colossians 1:9-12
• Numbers 6:22-27
• Many of the Psalms

Use Prayer Prompts/Resource Guides

These are wonderful tools for praying specifically and are often taken directly from Scripture. A win-win!

Many of these resources can be found through a quick Google or Pinterest search. (Simply type in “Scripture to Pray for My Grandchildren,” “Things to Pray for My Grandchildren,” or something similar.

Christian Grandparenting Network also has several great “Scriptures to Pray” resources available for free download on their website.

Or you can download the free 30-Day Prayer Challenge for Grandparents and use the Scripture prompts found in the back of the booklet.

 Pray for your grandchildren. Pray with your grandchildren. When we pray, we unleash eternity impacting power upon their lives.

---