Praying Proverbs Over Your Child: Week 2

Welcome to our Summer 2025 Book Club-Style Bible Study! This summer, we’ll be walking through Hey Mama! Pray: Praying Proverbs Over Your Child—a powerful, prayerful guide for parents seeking to raise their children in the wisdom and love of Jesus.

Join us every Tuesday morning, June 3 – July 29, at 9:00 AM right here on the blog. Can’t make it then? No worries—jump in whenever it works for you! 

Get your copy of the book on Amazon or download the printable version from Etsy.

Why this study matters:
Praying Proverbs over your child is more than a devotional practice—it’s a powerful parenting tool. As Christian parents, we’ve been entrusted with the sacred responsibility of guiding our children to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ.

That calling comes with challenges, especially in a world full of distractions and opposing voices. But we’re not alone. God, in His great wisdom, has given us the book of Proverbs—a rich source of truth, character-building guidance, and daily encouragement.

Let’s lean into His Word together this summer and cover our children in Scripture-rooted prayer.

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother....Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart." Proverbs 29:15, 17

Why Proverbs?
While there are countless parenting books out there, none compare to the timeless, wisdom-packed truths found in the book of Proverbs. This divinely inspired book serves as God’s blueprint for raising children who grow into wise, godly adults. When we read, study, teach—and most importantly, pray—the truths of Proverbs over our children, we invite God’s Word to shape their hearts and minds from the inside out.

Proverbs offers practical instruction on essential character traits like honesty, diligence, kindness, self-control, humility, and a reverent fear of the Lord. It highlights the value of wisdom and the dangers of foolishness, equipping our children with the discernment they need to navigate the challenges of life with grace and strength.

Let’s commit to this journey together, friend—because there is no greater gift we can give our children than the life-shaping power of prayer and God’s Word.

As we pray through Proverbs over our children this summer, we’ll journey through an A-to-Z list of important life topics—from dealing with fear to developing a strong work ethic. Each week, we’ll focus on a few key issues, along with supporting Scripture to guide our prayers. Let’s get started and invite God to do a powerful work in our children’s hearts!

​BRAGGING, CHEATING, and DECISIONS

​BRAGGING  
We can find a lot of reasons to brag about ourselves these days, can’t we? It’s so subtle, yet infectious, that we don’t even realize it. And our kiddos can pick up on this braggartry or boastful attitude really quickly!
 
When I wonder if this is a problem for me I don’t have to look far. I can just look to my social media post and there are the tell-tale signs. Not only can I see these signs of boastfulness, my children see it too—especially the older ones.
 
It’s fine for me to be proud of a job well done, or of an accomplishment, whether it’s in my life of the life of my child. But when this crosses the line into boastfulness, there’s a problem.
 
“Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?”
 
Proverbs 20:6 tells us not to brag about how great our love is for someone, but instead, be faithful! Be a faithful friend. This will show our steadfast love in ways that only true friendship can.
 
In a day when participation trophies are a thing, it’s easy for our children to think that they are more important than others. It’s easy to focus on me instead of others. I see this in my life, and I also see it in the lives of my children from time to time.
 
I want to be a faithful friend and I want my children to be that too. When I think of faithfulness, my #1 role model should be Jesus Christ. The Bible describes Him as Faithful and True and a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
 
I want to be that kind of friend and I want that for my children. Let’s pray today mama that instead of being a bragger, our children will be found to be a faithful friend to those around them.

CHEATING
I can remember being in the sixth grade and trying to cheat on a spelling test. It’s the only test I ever cheated on. I learned a very valuable lesson that day. I learned that not only am I not a very good speller and too lazy to put forth the effort to study, but I am also a lousy cheater!
 
“Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord…. Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.”
 
As the Bible tells us, in Proverbs 20:10 and 17, cheating is an abomination to the Lord. Deceit seems sweet at first, but when you get caught it’s not so sweet. I believe that even if I hadn’t been caught cheating that day, my mouth still would have been full of gravel, so to speak.
 
I praise the Lord that I was caught cheating on that spelling test! It was a lesson well-learned at a young age. Cheating in the adult world can bring much bigger consequences! Cheating at any age displeases the Lord.
 
I don’t want my kiddos to ever find out how big those consequences can be in the adult world. I’m sure you feel the same about yours.
 
If you catch your child cheating in the home, on homework, or in any other kind of way, point it out. Don’t ignore or overlook it. A cheater will only grow bolder with time if not caught and reprimanded.
 
You want them to get caught and you want them to get caught at a young age. You certainly do not want the habit of cheating to become part of your child’s adult life!
 
Today, let’s pray that if they cheat, they’ll be caught! I know mama, that’s a hard prayer to pray, but it’s a good prayer!

​DECISIONS
Some decisions are hard to make. We realize that even more as we settle into adulthood. But decisions can even be difficult for our children as well.
 
You may remember some childhood decisions you had to make that were challenging, like what lunch table to sit at and what friends to hang out with. These can be important, life-changing decisions in the long run.
 
Older children may even be struggling with bigger decisions, like what college to attend. Daily decisions of varying magnitudes can weigh heavily on our minds, whether we are an adult or a child.
 
As parents, we want to make good decisions, but we also want our kiddos to make good decisions as well.
 
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
 
Today, let’s pray over our children and the decisions that are weighing heavily on their little minds. Let’s encourage them to trust God with all their heart and not to just depend on what we think we know. Remind them that our knowledge is limited, but God is all-knowing!
 
Also, as we make decisions that God has helped us make, let’s acknowledge God! Let’s sing His praises! Let’s praise His name! We need to show our little ones (and the big ones too) how we are waiting and depending on God for the decisions we have to make and encourage them to do the same in their lives.
 
“He will make straight your paths” Proverbs 3:6 tells us, and that’s what we want, right? We want to know we’re on the right path and headed in the right direction and we want that for our children too, don’t we mama?! Let’s pray that today!

​A Prayer for the Bragging, Cheating, and Decision-Making Heart of a Child

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of this child You’ve entrusted to my care. Today, I lift up their heart to You—the heart that is still learning, still growing, and so deeply in need of Your wisdom and grace.

Lord, when pride creeps in and the temptation to brag takes hold, remind them that true greatness is found not in boasting, but in humility and faithfulness. Help them to value quiet integrity over loud achievement. Shape their character to reflect Your Son—faithful and true, a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 20:6).

When deceit whispers lies and cheating seems easier than honesty, give them the courage to walk in truth. Convict their heart when they stray, and let them be caught quickly—not for shame, but for growth. May they learn, even in failure, that Your grace abounds and integrity is always worth it (Proverbs 20:10, 17).

And Lord, in the crossroads of life—whether choosing friends, making plans, or walking through uncertainty—may they trust in You with all their heart. Don’t let them lean on their own understanding, but in all their ways acknowledge You, knowing You will make their path straight (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Shape their heart to reflect Yours. And shape mine too, Lord. Help me model the humility, honesty, and wisdom I long to see in them.

In Jesus’ powerful name,
Amen.

​What habits or heart issues—like bragging, cheating, or bad decision making—might we unknowingly model for our children, and how can praying Proverbs over them begin transforming both their hearts and ours?

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