Praying Proverbs Over Your Child: Week 3

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!

ENEMIES, FRIENDS, AND GETTING ALONG WITH SIBLINGS

ENEMIES
​Bullying is a very real issue today. It’s sad to have to say that, but it’s true—and chances are, you know it all too well, whether from your own experience or that of your children.
 
Maybe your children have experienced being bullied in the neighborhood, at school, or even at your church. That’s the worse! We think bullies don’t hang out at church, but they do.
 
I believe that bullying isn’t really a new thing though. Even when we read parts of the Old Testament we can find examples of bullying. And it may not just be a part of your child’s life. It may actually be part of your life as well. Adults can be bullied too, you know.
 
When I read Proverbs 16:7 it tells me that “When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
 
Bullies are our enemies, but God’s Word says we can be at peace with our enemies. I see examples in His Word where God made enemies of the Israelites be at peace with them when the Israelites were following the Lord.
 
So, how do we “be at peace with” a bully? By making sure that our “ways please the Lord.” It’s just that simple.
 
However, being at peace may not always be God’s plan. Maybe He has a bigger plan than that. Sometimes He does. I can only control what I can control. I can only do what I can do, and that is to be sure that my ways are pleasing to God. Then, I’ll let God take care of the rest, and He will!
 
Today, let’s pray this Proverb over our children. Let’s pray that their ways will be pleasing to God and that they will be at peace with their enemies.
 
You can pray the same thing for yourself as well, mama!


FRIENDS
There are a whole host of passages in the book of Proverbs that speak of choosing good friends. The friendships we develop early on in life often springboard us into a lifestyle for good, or for bad. You may have seen this in your own life as a child, I certainly did. Or, you may already be seeing this in your kiddo’s life.
 
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse’— my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” Proverbs 1:10-19
 
I remember sitting at a lunchroom table with the cool kids my junior year of high school and making a choice. That choice comprised of getting up out of my seat and moving across the lunchroom to another table—a not-so-cool kind of table. It was a life-changing moment kind of decision! It was a life-saving decision! This was a pivotal moment in my life. I wasn’t just choosing a different set of friends, I was choosing to follow God.
 
Praying that our children follow God when making friendships is an important prayer. At a time, when they are young and so very impressionable, good friendships are a must-have!
 
Today, mama let’s pray verse 15 over our children. “…do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths” (1:15). Let’s ask God to lead them into good, godly friendships.


GETTING ALONG WITH SIBLINGS   
Sibling rivalry is an issue in many families. I can’t honestly say we experienced this in our family, but I know many do. Maybe you’re one of those families who is struggling with sibling rivalry. If so, today is your day! We’re going to pray over this!
 
Proverbs 11:29 tells us that "Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart."
 
The wind is a fierce force of nature! We see it almost every week in the form of wind blowing forest fires out of control, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, tornadoes. The damage wind can cause can be catastrophic, even to the point of taking lives and altering the face of the earth.
 
Here in Proverbs 11:29, God compares the one who causes trouble in his (or her) own household to the power of the wind. It’s foolish, this verse tells us, to stir up strife.
 
We want to be wise when we are dealing with our kiddos about the issue of sibling rivalry. We want to check our own selves first and be sure we are not part of the problem. It’s easy for us, as parents, to play favorites in the home without even recognizing it.
 
The compliant child may seem easier to love. The child that just can’t seem to get it right or struggles in areas we don’t understand may take more effort to love. Be consistent and make the effort!
 
Sometimes, without even realizing it, we come across in our attitudes or judgment as playing favorites and this can easily blossom into sibling rivalry.
 
Today, mama let’s pray that our children will be lifelong buds and realize that God has put them together in this family unit for a reason.

​How might your child’s future be different if you consistently prayed God’s Word over their friendships, responses to conflict, and relationships at home?

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