Prayers For A Struggling Child
Last week, one of the men in our brotherhood (The Real Men 300) asked our group how he could become a “Prayer Warrior,” specifically when it came to praying for his family.
He felt that he had lost his fire for praying, and that he wasn’t praying like the other men in his church. He felt his prayers weren’t long enough. He said he often stumbled over his words, and he didn’t know if he was “praying right.” And he admitted that praying felt more like a job than a joy. And now one of his children, his son, was struggling, and he didn’t know what he could do to “fix” his “broken prayers.” He asked the group, “Teach me how to pray for my struggling son.”
Unfortunately, I, and thousands of other Christian men, can relate to this brother’s dilemma. On one hand, you know you should pray, but you wonder, are you praying the “right way” and why don’t your prayers sound like the other men in your church when they pray.
Your Prayers Don't Need To Be Perfect To Be Effective
Over the past 18 years, my prayer life has changed dramatically. I wouldn’t consider myself a “Prayer Warrior” per se, but those who know me, especially my wife and children, would tell you I pray with a confidence, I pray consistently, and they like when I pray for them.
Jesus spoke specifically to the disciples about praying. In Mathew 6:5-6, Jesus says, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
First of all, Jesus wanted his disciples to know that prayer was meant to be a relational conversation with God, not a show. And many times, we struggle with prayer because we focus more on performance than we do on the purpose of prayer.
How To Pray For Your Struggling Son
When you’re praying for your family, whether it be your wife or a prayer for your struggling son, your prayer just needs to be sincere, not eloquent. You don’t have to use “big words,” and you don’t have to set a time limit or time minimum on your prayers. Rest assure, as long as your prayers are from the heart, they’ll reach God’s ears.
Later in Matthew, verses 6:9-13, Jesus goes on to instruct the disciples on HOW their prayers should be structured. Jesus says, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The key phrase in verse 9 is “like this.” Jesus’s prayer included certain elements that we all should include in our prayers:
Our Father in heaven – meaning our prayers should be relational. God is our Father.
Hallowed by your name – we are to give God praise for who He is when we pray.
Your kingdom come, your will be done – our prayers should seek what God desires most, not just our own desires.
On earth as it is in heaven – we should ask God to establish the things of heaven down here on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread – we should ask God to meet our needs for today, not worry about tomorrow
Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors – we should confess, repent, and ask God to forgive us as we forgive others.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – we should pray that God give us hope and confidence to overcome the schemes, strategies, and weapons of the evil one.
4 Types of Prayers You Can Use For Your Struggling Son
But the “Our Father Prayer” isn’t the only type of praying we can do. Generally speaking, there are four (4) types of prayers you can engage in. You don’t have to do them at one time, but you should be familiar with each, and include them all in your prayer life.
Prayers of CONFESSION – this is when you specifically express to God the sins you’ve committed as you ask Him for forgiveness.
Prayers of WARFARE – this is when you pray against (rebuke) the enemy and his attack on you and those you love.
Prayers of THANKS/PRAISE – this is prayer of gratitude, when you specifically thank God for who He is, what He’s done for you, and how much you love Him.
Prayers of INTERCESSION – this is when you pray for specific people in your life: your wife, your children, your family and friends, your pastor and the church, the leaders of our country, the loss (i.e., Non-Believers), and our country/the world.
So, when it comes to praying for your struggling son or other family member in your home, the prayer you should focus on is intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare praying.
Both types of prayers can be combined when praying. Below is an example of this type of prayer. Feel free to use this prayer when praying for your struggling child; just mention your son’s name where the blanks are:
A Prayer for My Struggling Son
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I come boldly to Your throne of grace and present ___________ before You. I stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of ___________, knowing that the Holy Spirit within me takes hold together with me against the evils that would attempt to hold him in bondage. I unwrap ___________ from the bonds of wickedness with my prayers and take my shield of faith and quench every fiery dart of the adversary that would come against him.
Father, You say that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. You say for me to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.
In the name of Jesus, I bind ________’s body, soul, and spirit to the will and purposes of God for his life. I bind ________’s mind, will, and emotions to the will of God. I bind him to the truth and to the blood of Jesus. I bind his mind to the mind of Christ, that the very thoughts, feelings, and purposes of His heart would be within his thoughts.
I loose every old, wrong, ungodly pattern of thinking, attitude, idea, desire, belief, motivation, habit, and behavior from him. I tear down, crush, smash, and destroy every stronghold associated with these things. I loose any stronghold in his life that has been justifying and protecting hard feelings against anyone. I loose the stronghold of unforgiveness, fear, and distrust from him. I bind and loose these things in Jesus’ name.
Father, I ask You to commission Your ministering spirits to go forth and provide the necessary help and assistance for __________. Father, I have laid hold of __________’s salvation and his confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I speak of things that are not as though they were, for I choose to look at the unseen — the eternal things of God. I say that Satan shall not get an advantage over him, for I am not ignorant of Satan’s devices. I resist Satan, and he has run in terror from __________ in the name of Jesus. I give Satan no place in him. I plead
the blood of the Lamb over __________, for Satan and his cohorts are overcome by that blood and Your Word. I thank You, Father, that I tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy in __________’s behalf. He is delivered from this present evil world. He is delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of Your dear Son!
Father, I ask You now to fill those vacant places within __________ with Your redemption, Your Word, Your Holy Spirit, Your love, Your wisdom, Your righteousness, and Your revelation knowledge in the name of Jesus.
I thank You, Father, that he is redeemed out of the hand of Satan by the blood of Jesus. He is justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus and belongs to You — spirit, soul, and body. I thank You that every enslaving yoke is broken, for he will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power in the name of Jesus. He has escaped the snare of the devil who has held him captive and now does Your will, Father, which is to glorify You in his spirit, soul, and body.
Thank You, Father, that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan’s works are destroyed in __________’s life in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah! __________ walks in the Kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord! Amen.”
God Knows How To Listen To Exactly What Your Struggling Son Needs
Feel free to use this prayer; study the components of it; deconstruct it, looking for the components Jesus mentioned in the “Our Father Prayer.” Then use this prayer to develop your own personal way of communicating with the Creator of the Universe.
Remember, your prayer doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy, just sincere. Because 1 John 5:14 reminds us, “And this is the confidence that we have toward God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” And trust me, if you pray sincerely, consistently, humbly, and relationally, God WILL hear you.
