Every morning, you begin a brand new day with your family. The way you start that day can determine the outcome of many things. Your morning prayer for family will invite Holy Spirit to be an active part of your day. Asking for God’s presence is a powerful morning prayer for your family unit, thanking the Lord from a grateful heart, and asking for God’s guidance as you make wise decisions throughout the day builds a connection with God and your family.
Taking time each morning to pray for and with your family directs your focus on God right away. Ask for His protection, His direction, and His provision. Add gratitude and thanksgiving into your simple morning prayers as well. Thank God for the night’s rest, for your health, your food or daily bread, and for His protection.
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How Should We Pray as a Family in the Morning?
Morning is often a busy time. When you have younger children, you may have a difficult time getting them up and out the door for school on time. So you have to be intentional to make sure you make time to pray. Taking time to thank God for His blessings is a great way to begin the day!
Mix it up each day, so that your family morning prayer doesn’t become a quick repetition, but rather a heartfelt prayer. Prayer is simply a conversation with God, so think of your prayer and make it a conversation that includes what you are thankful for and what you need.
If your children are very small and not able to pray on their own yet, teach them to pray by using short or partial sentences, and have them repeat the words. Start a family worship tradition to help your family spend time with God each day.
Short Morning Prayers for Families
Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you so much for the good rest during the night. Thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe. Thank you for our food, for our home, and for our family. Please go with each member of our family today and help us to follow you in everything we say and do. Protect us as we go to school and work, and bring us home safely tonight. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dear God, Thank you for helping us sleep well last night. Thank you so much for our beautiful family. Please be with us today and help us to obey and do the right things. Please keep us safe and help us to be kind to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dear Jesus, thank you for this new day. I am so thankful for your protection through the night and for the rest that you provided. Thank you that we are healthy and well, and we have good food to eat and a warm home to live in. Bless each of our family members. Please go with us into this day. Protect us, direct us, and help us to reflect the love of God to others. Help us to be diligent in our work and do our best. Help us to see others who need a helping hand or a kind word. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Verses You Can Use in Your Short Prayers for Your Family
Using scripture to help you pray is a powerful tool to help you focus on the goodness of God and His promises for you and your family. If you read very many verses in Psalms, you will hear David’s heart singing praises to God, expressing thanksgiving, confessing his sins, asking for God’s protection and then praying for others.
- Therefore will I give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations, And sing praises to Your name. ~ Psalm 18:49 (NIV)
- That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. ~ Psalm 30:12
- And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice), And Your praise all the day long. Psalm 35:28
- Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name. ~ Psalm 100:4
- I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. ~ Isaiah 45:2-3
- Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. ~ Psalm 51:10
There are hundreds of Bible verses to pray for your children. Create a collection of verses that apply to specific situations and use those verses in your morning prayers for your family.
Bible promises can also be used as you claim them for your children or your family. Teach your children, by example, how to pray using the scriptures. Pray circles around your family and then stand back to see how God will answer those prayers.
RELATED: The Power of a Praying Mother
Powerful Morning Prayers of Direction and Guidance
Praying for direction and guidance in the morning focuses on your desire to be led by God. Looking ahead at the to-do list, or situations that may be scary or difficult can start the day with anxiety.
But, when you pause and focus on God’s ability to lead and guide, it helps you and your children to see that God is able to provide for whatever issue may arise. Laying your plans and worries at God’s feet reduces stress and the expectation that you have to accomplish things on your own.
Dear Lord, this morning I ask for your guidance in all that we do. Thank you for already providing what we need for the day you have already answered our prayers even before we’ve prayed them. You know what each of us has to do today. This morning, we claim your promise that You will not give us temptations that are more than we can handle and you will be with us always.
Please help us to see You working in our lives today. Help me to see someone else that I can encourage today. Please protect us and bring us back home safely tonight. We give you our hopes and dreams and ask You to guide our paths. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dear Father God, thank you so much for Your unconditional love! That you for good health and the gift of family. Thank you for all the good things you provide for us each and every day! Lord God, please carry us through the difficult times that are sure to come to us, strengthen our faith and deepen our spiritual growth. Please be with us the whole day. Thank you for the gift of life and wonderful ways You show us You love us. Please give us word of your unfailing love today. Please guide us in the right direction. Thank you for taking care of our family’s needs before we even ask. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Good morning Lord Jesus Christ! You fill me with awe as I watch the sunrise and see you “paint” the sky. Your mercies are new every morning and I’m so grateful for your trustworthiness. You make the mountains stand tall, lit the moon and stars in the sky and kept us safe through the night. Thank you! Please forgive me for my impatience this morning as we were getting ready for breakfast. I’m sorry for losing my gentleness with my family. Please go with us into this day and show us Your way today.
Help me to have a heart after You and to be more like You everyday. Please pray for my friend who is struggling in her situation. Give her comfort and peace today, knowing that you know the end from the beginning and have good plans for her. When we come to the end of the day, I pray that we will have seen Your hand in our lives today. Thank you for taking great delight in us. We love you! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Points for Morning Prayer for Family
You can think if prayer points as categories or specific areas of daily prayer. They include: praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition, and intercession. Each of these sections of your morning routine in prayer are a wonderful way to express gratitude and ask for God’s grace for the rest of the day. Starting the day with family morning prayer by asking for His forgiveness helps you start off with a clean slate or a reminder that God is willing to forgive your sins and He has already paid the price for your forgiveness.
Prayer points don’t have to be a hard and fast rule for your short prayer but as you think about your simple prayer whether it’s a Sunday morning or a Tuesday morning prayer, a good conversation with your best friend includes several different things and not just requests every time you talk to them.
So it is with prayer. Your prayer life should include much more than simply asking for God’s protection.
Praise: When you praising God, you are simply reviewing His amazing qualities. Think about the character of God. He is faithful, He is omnipotent, He is loving, and so on. Focus on these qualities of God and thank Him for being who He is!
Thanksgiving: This is the part when you thank God for the specific things He has done for you. This can include protection on the daily commute yesterday, your friends protection, the gift of a new day, loving parents, food on your breakfast table, good relationships and the joy of your family today. It’s easy to simply thank God for His blessings, but stopping to take a few minutes to really think about the things you are thankful for can be a powerful way to start the day.
Confession: This is often something we’d rather skip over. No one really enjoys confessing their sins. But this one of the most powerful ways to start your day. Think about the things you may need to ask forgiveness for and verbalize that to God. Again, this is a time be specific and not general. You are praying to a gracious God who loves you and wants to be with you every step of the way. He already knows your thoughts and actions and He’s ready to forgive, but you have to ask. The best part is that He has already paid the price for your forgiveness on the cross.
Petition: This is the part of your family morning prayer when you will pray for the specific needs of your family’s day. You could pray for God’s divine protection as you travel or for God to lead you on the right path and make the right decision about a situation. This is a great time to pray for peace of mind about a difficult situation.
The important thing to remember is that God is not like a genie in a bottle that if you say the right things, you will get the answer you want. He hears your prayers and sometimes the answer to your prayer looks just like what your petition was and other times, it may look like there is never an answer until years or a lifetime later.
When we make a petition or ask God for something, this is an act of release. We are giving our needs and requests to Almighty God trusting that He knows the end from the beginning and wants only good for His people.
Intercession: This is a powerful prayer point where you can lay your burdens for others at Jesus’ feet. There is no better time to give your worry and concerns for others to the loving care of your dear Heavenly Father. You can also pray for the needs of your whole family and their daily lives. This is another opportunity to be specific. You are praying for the needs of others, your family members, your co-workers, your friends and even people impacted by tragedies in the world around you. God already knows their needs but this allows you to give Him your burdens and trust Him with the outcome.
Bible Verses to Claim as You Pray for God’s Direction and Protection.
As you pray, an easy way to pray your requests or lay out your needs is to use scripture verses as you pray. Think of your prayer time as a good morning prayer to God. You are taking time to spend with Him and thank Him for keeping you through the night and asking Him to go with you into the day. As you take time for your short family prayer at breakfast or before you leave the house to start the day, know that God wants to communicate with you.
The power of morning prayer is similar to that of eating breakfast. You have probably heard that it is the most important meal of the day. So is your morning prayer for family the most important thing to start your day. This time of prayer can strengthen your family bonds, help you to focus on the good time and blessings you have to be thankful for and release your worries and concerns into the loving arms of Jesus.
- Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. ~ Proverbs 16:3
- The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. ~ Psalm 37:23-24
- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11
- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~Isaiah 41:10
- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9
Here are some additional Bible verses to help you not to worry.
Here are some additional Bible verses to help you not to worry.
Making a Habit of Morning Prayer for Your Family Each Morning
Take some time each morning to pray for your family. Pray for your family and with your family to encourage them in their walk with Jesus. Make this morning prayer time a part of every day as you praise God for who He is, thank Him for what’s He’s done for you, ask for forgiveness, lay your requests before Him, and intercede for others.
Your daily morning prayer for family can become the cornerstone of every single day. When you lay your burdens down, and give your worries to God, you are also giving God permission to work in your life and accepting His will for you.
If you are looking for specific ways to pray for others, How to Pray Scripture for Others is filled with practical tips that will help you in your morning prayers for your family.
You may also like these Biblical parenting links…
- Tips for Sitting in Church with Kids
- Bedtime Prayers – Creating an Evening Routine
- 52 Memory Verses for Kids to Memorize
- Family Worship Ideas with Kids
- Morning Prayers for Families
- Teaching Kids to Pray
- 9 Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter
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