I remember the first time I held her in a room all by myself. She was a few hours old and Scott had gone home to pick up a few things. It was just me and this tiny little human, an answered prayer on many levels. She had that newborn smell and I was enamored already.

As I whispered how much I loved her, I realized HOW MUCH I loved her. And in that same instant, I realized how much I didn’t know and couldn’t control.

It was that moment, that split second in time, when I think I really grasped the truth that I was never going to be enough for her. I would never be able to meet all of her needs, understand all of her thoughts, and fulfill all of her dreams.

She was going to need more than I could ever give or be or do. I knew this to my core … because I needed that as well. And that was my dive into praying with a passion and purpose like I’d never had before.

That baby girl is nineteen now. As I tap out these words, she’s wrapping up her first year in college and working on her applications for nursing and radiology school. For nineteen years I’ve been praying for her and over the years, I’ve found my prayers center on five key areas of her life.

Five Key Areas to Pray for Your Daughter

Her Identity. Our daughters live in a world that will try to tell them their identity is found in their appearance, their accomplishments, or their abilities. We have a great challenge as moms to guide them to understand their identity is actually who God says they are.

Her Heart. Our daughters will hear the “follow your heart” messages consistently from the world. But the Word tells us to “guard our hearts” (Proverbs 4:23). Praying for our daughters to protect and point their hearts toward the heart of God must be a priority for us as moms.

Her Mind. As moms, we know the battlefield in our minds. We know how easy it is to let our thoughts go rogue. Praying for and helping our daughters learn to filter their thoughts through Scripture is a key way we can help them navigate that war zone for their whole lives.

Her Relationships. People can be hard, right? And our girls are going to deal with hard relationships. Spending time praying for both the specific relationships in their lives as well as qualities they can exhibit in their interactions with others is an important place for us to pray.

Her Purpose. What am I here for? We all grapple with that question at various points in life. Praying intentionally for our daughters to understand both that God has a plan for their lives and that He is able to equip them for it is a gift we give them.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

We can all feel uncertain about what or how to pray for our daughters. And sometimes we may find it difficult to pray things for them that we struggle to accept or believe for ourselves. As you read Scripture and pray for your daughter, maybe you need to remember that all those things God says about and desires for her, He says and desires for you too.

Consider how you can both pray for your daughter and share with her your own stories and struggles to help her understand the importance of knowing what God says about us in His Word.

SOMETHING TO PRAY

Father, give me a passion for praying for my daughter. Guide me to specific truths in Your Word that I can pray on her behalf. Help me be wise about sharing my prayers with her. Give me insight regarding the areas in her life where she needs specific covering. And, Lord, will you also help me believe all those prayers and truths for myself as well. Thank you for the gift of being your daughter.

EXTRA PRAYERS

Ephesians 4:24 “…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”