If we pray for our church friends, pastors, ministers, workmates or classmates, and every other person in our lives, surely we should pray as well for our parents. One may ask if this applies to their parents with whom they have an estranged relationship, and the answer is an absolute yes! It is even more imperative to pray for your parents with whom you don’t have a good relationship because, in the end, it is God Who brings restoration. Nonetheless, praying for one’s parents is expected of a believer, given that God commands him or her to honor and love them.
Heavenly Father, though at times my parents have their share of shortcomings, just as I have mine, stir up grace and love in my heart so that I may always remember them and their well-being in prayers and intercede for them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Good Prayer for Your Parents
What Does It Mean When the Bible Says “Honor”?
The word “honor” becomes our basis for why we are to pray for our parents. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Bible explicitly commands us to honor our parents. In Exodus 20:12, it is written that we are to honor our father and mother so that our days may be long. Proverbs 1:8-9 and Proverbs 23:22, though they do not explicitly mention the word “honor,” also prescribe some ways to honor our parents, by listening to what they are teaching us and obeying them (unless what they are teaching is a sin). Being wise is attributed to listening to one’s parents and not living a life that would cause them shame. In Ephesians 6:2-3, the apostle Paul quotes the Old Testament when writing to the Ephesians to honor their fathers and mothers so that it may go well with them. This is the only commandment with a promise.
When we say we “honor” our parents, it means having an attitude of respect, reverence, and esteem toward them. So, when one’s desire is to respect, revere, and esteem one’s parents, one would not do something to intentionally disobey them. Regardless of whether one is still a minor living under his or her parents’ roof or an adult living his or her own life, one is still compelled to honor, obey, respect, and care for their parents.
How do we honor our parents? We honor them through our actions and words (Mark 7:6), which means we are careful with our tone and manner of speaking. Honoring our parents could mean a lot of things, such as honoring what they instruct us (if it is right and does not compel us to sin), remembering what they have taught us, showing gratitude toward them, seeking their wisdom and counsel, and praying for them in a way that shows love, concern, and how much we value them.
Father in heaven, give me the grace to always show respect and reverence toward my parents despite their imperfections. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Good Prayer for Your Parents
How Can I Show Love for My Parents?
Loving and honoring are two different things, yet they overlap. While, indeed, the Bible commands us to honor our parents, we also are to love them. The Bible commands us to love others, and that includes our parents. Below are several passages that decree this.
The first one is from 1 John 4:7-8: We love because we are born of God and know God, and love comes from God. One who does not love is not born of God and does not know Him. We love because He loved us first. If, indeed, we are new creatures who have been born again, have known God, and have experienced His divine love in Christ, we will love others, including our parents, even if it is difficult at times. That does not mean it will be a walk in the park. However, we have the grace and strength in Christ to empower us (Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.).
A Good Prayer for Your Parents
The second example is from Matthew 22:39. In the passage, after giving the first commandment to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength, Jesus gives the second commandment, which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our parents qualify as “neighbors” since the heart of the passage is to love other people, not necessarily just those who live beside you.
Last, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 shows us what kind of love we ought to show others. In other words, we must offer to others an agape kind of love. Indeed, love endures, believes, and hopes. It is patient and kind. It does not insist on its own but is selfless. It does not rejoice in the wrong but rejoices in the truth. However, the basic point is this: Sacrificial love – agape love, the highest form of love – is seeking the well-being of others.
Given the definition of love and the Bible’s commandment to love others, including our parents, it is imperative that we follow this. One of the ways we put such love into action is by praying for them, showing that we remember them even if we are already adults living far away. As a student, you could be taking the time to approach them and ask if you could pray for them. There are many ways for you to pray for them, and loving them means seeking each of those opportunities and even creating the occasions to pray for them.
Lord, let Your love, which has consumed me, translate to selfless and sacrificial love toward my parents by my praying for their needs and seeking their well-being. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Good Prayer for Your Parents
How Can I Pray a Good Prayer for My Parents?
1. Pray for their salvation.
If your parents are not yet believers, the most loving thing you can do for them is preach the Gospel and pray for their salvation. Why is that the most loving thing you can do? It is because no matter what good you seek for their well-being here on earth, it is all pointless if they are not in Christ, for they will face the punishment for their sins. So, preach the Gospel to them and pray that the Holy Spirit will soften their hearts so that they may believe, repent, and commit to following Christ. (Acts 4:12; Ezekiel 36:26)
Holy Spirit, give me the boldness to preach the Gospel to my parents and the wisdom to present it clearly and understandably. As I preach the Gospel to them, work in their hearts, Holy Spirit. Turn their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh that they may humble themselves and trust in Christ alone for their salvation. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
2. Pray for their spiritual well-being.
The next good thing that you can pray for your parents, assuming that they are already believers, is their spiritual well-being or spiritual maturity. In other words, pray that they will grow in holiness and Christlikeness, which is the end goal of redemption (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2). Under that umbrella, you can pray for many different things—spiritual maturity (Philippians 3:15), growth in godly wisdom and discernment, minds that are renewed by God’s Word (Romans 12:1-2), continuously living and doing everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), always preaching the Gospel to others, etc. All are part of our becoming more and more holy and Christlike.
Father in heaven, I pray for my parents to grow in grace day by day. I pray that they shall always love You with their heart, soul, and strength and serve You with all of their might. Cause their ministry to bear fruit, and may You always inspire them to grow in wisdom and discernment. I pray that they will continue longing for Your Word and impart its wisdom to others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
3. Pray for their well-being.
Here, you can pray for their earthly or temporal well-being, whether that is the finances they need, healing from sickness, or any other concern they have. You can pray that whatever matters they may have will go well (Ephesians 6:3), and you can lift them to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).
Dear God, I pray that You will continuously provide for my parents’ needs and sustain them in every aspect of their lives that needs sustenance, whether finances, health, physical safety, emotional needs, etc. Keep them from any sickness and disease, and may these years of their lives be years of reward for them for how much they have sacrificed for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apart from us being consumed with God’s love and therefore loving our parents as a byproduct of it, we also love and honor our parents because it is what is glorifying and honoring toward God (Colossians 3:17). If we want to honor God, Who is our heavenly Father, we will obey and respect His command of honoring and loving our parents. Our greatest example of someone who honored and loved his parents is Jesus. We saw how submissive He was to them as a child at the temple (Luke 2:51) and how much He showed, just before His death, His love for His mother, as the Bible describes in John 19:26-27. Just as Jesus honored the Father, we are also to honor our heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!; Malachi 1:6). One of the ways we do that is by honoring our parents, just as He commanded.
A Good Prayer for Your Parents