I’ve watched the scene unfold at least a thousand times. (It seems like it anyway.) A family is meeting up with grandma and grandpa. The children see their grandparents off in the distance and make a beeline. Soon swallowed in their grandparents’ embrace, glee erupts and giggles abound. What a sight. My attention is quickly diverted, however, when the parents arrive on the scene muttering, “What about us? We’re here too!”

Oh, how we love our grandchildren, and rightly so. But we must never forget that our responsibility is not exclusive to them. We are called to disciple the generations, and that includes our grown children.

The parents of our grandchildren carry the huge and weighty responsibility of shepherding the hearts of our grandchildren. The Bible is clear on this point. Parents are to be the primary disciple-makers of their children.

We’ve been there. Haven’t we? There was a time not so long ago when we were the parents – juggling marriage responsibilities, work obligations, calendar commitments, and routine chores while trying to carry out this great responsibility.

The “Now” of Parenting

For our grown children, the ones sitting in the “parent” seat now, I am convinced the work is even harder. In addition to juggling all the things that come with being a grown-up, they are faced with discipling the hearts of their children in a culture far different from the one that existed when we were doing the parenting.

In an increasingly secularized culture where the boundaries of right and wrong have all but disappeared, the parents of our grandchildren must steer tender hearts through desensitizing music, movies, and video games. They also must maneuver the internet, legalized drugs, and sex trafficking. And add to this that our children must journey through sexual identity confusion and all that comes with it as part of their parenting.

Without question, Satan is on the attack. He wants our families.

We must pray – intentionally, thoughtfully, specifically for the parents of our grandchildren as they carry out their task.

5 Prayers for the Parents of Our Grandchildren

Spiritual

Fervently pray for your adult child’s walk with God. Pray that they would develop a heart for him and his Word. Ask God to help them live according to biblical priorities and grow in wisdom, discernment, and understanding of his purpose for their life.

Plead for your adult child’s protection from the evil one, and that they would have the strength to resist. The battle is fierce, and the enemy relentless.

Physical

Pray that your children, the parents of your grandchildren, would be blessed with physical health. They need energy, strength, and stamina to go the distance.

Cry out for the purity of your adult children. Ask God to keep them from all sexual pollution and temptation.

Pray, also, that they would experience financial stability and survive tough times.

Social

May the parents of our grandchildren never have to “go it alone” in the weighty work to which they are called.

Ask God to surround them with others who will point them toward him. Pray for your adult children to have godly friends, mentors, and neighbors. Ask also that they will develop and maintain strong, healthy relationships.

Emotional

Prayers for emotional health and stability are often overlooked. Ask God to bless your adult children with a sound mind. Pray that he would pluck any worries from their minds and help them let go of all difficult past experiences.

Entreat the Lord to remind your children that because of his forgiveness and grace, any moment can be a “start over” moment.

Parental

And let’s not neglect praying for our adult children in the duties and responsibilities of their parental role. 

Pray that they would develop a biblical worldview and shepherd the hearts of their children with grace. Ask God to help these primary disciple-makers teach the word, share their faith, and be an example of godly living. Plead for their marriages, their family dynamics, and their communication. Pray they would understand the power of their words.

May our grown children (the parents of our grandchildren) never feel left out or alone but encouraged and supported by us as they do the heavy-lifting of shepherding our grandchildren.