Sample prayer

Wise Father, I will praise Your name forever and ever. Wisdom and power are Yours. You change times and seasons; You set up kings and depose them; You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning; You reveal deep and hidden things; You know what lies in darkness and light dwells with You (Daniel 2:20-22). In Your Word it says that You will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent You will frustrate. For Your “foolishness” is wiser than man’s wisdom, and Your “weakness” is stronger than man’s strength. I am amazed that You chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:19,25,27).

Thank You for Your promise that “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Even though I know this, I still sometimes feel at a loss or inadequate in my parenting. Please forgive me for times that I have trusted in my own worldly understanding and made impulsive and poor choices as a parent. Today I praise You, for You are the all-knowing Father – a vast resource of wisdom. As Solomon asked, I pray that I would have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, so that I may “govern” our children in a godly way (1 Kings 3:7-9). Can You show me how to deal with daily problems and the larger life issues? My desire is to parent in partnership with You, being sensitive to Your guidance.

For my children, ________ and ________, I pray that they would have a life quest to “buy the truth” and to seek wisdom, discipline and understanding (Proverbs 23:23). We read in Your Word about Jesus, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2-3a). I ask that Your Spirit would rest on ________ and ________, and that the fear of the Lord would be the basis for their conduct and the decisions they make. As I send ________ and ________ to ________ (pre-school, school, child care), I ask that You would go with them. Please send Your Spirit to prompt them to choose good and not evil. May ________ and ________ “hate every false way” and choose to have You be the light for their path (Psalm 119:104-105). There will be times when ________ and ________ are tempted to sin instead of choosing to obey You. In these crucial situations, please give them the ability to recall Your Word and the spiritual maturity to rely on You as their source of power to resist the temptation so they can stay strong in You and in Your mighty power (Ephesians 6:10, Psalm 119:11).

Oh Lord, it is Your Spirit who gives us spiritual insight. I ask You, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give our family Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know You better (Ephesians 1:17). Amen.

Scripture-guided prayer for parents

Read and pray through one or more of the selected Scriptures under each heading. Focus on listening to God and allowing His Spirit to direct you as you pray.

Character focus

Begin by thanking God for being a God of wisdom.

1 Kings 3:27-28,4:29 | Job 12:12-13 | Proverbs 2:6 | Proverbs 3:13-14 | Jeremiah 10:6-7,11-12

Heart search

Acknowledge where you lack discernment.

1 Chronicles 21:1-8 | Proverbs 1:22 | Proverbs 12:15 | Proverbs 13:20 | Ephesians 5:15-17

Gratitude

Thank God for ways you have seen evidence of discernment in your family.

Family requests

Ask God to help you and your children live wisely.

Psalm 90:12 | Psalm 119:33-35 | Proverbs 2:1-11 | Philippians 2:1-4 | James 1:5, 3:13,17