I have two sons who both have several diagnoses between them. Parenting them has been the most challenging, stressful journey I’ve ever been on. But it has also what has led me to grow so much closer to God. To grow deeper in my faith. I don’t think I could have made it in this special needs parenting journey without God.
Praying Scripture has really helped me learn to align my will for my life and my children with God’s will. And so, below you’ll find a Scripture-filled prayer to pray. You, your child(ren), and your heart matter so much to God, and so with that in mind, please join me in praying this prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Today we come before You to lift up this weary and overwhelmed special needs parent before Your throne (Hebrews 4:16). I pray that You would bring peace to their weary bodies and worried minds (John 14:27). I pray that they would rest in Your loving hands and feel Your perfect peace and love flow over them.
I pray that You would guide their steps. Give them wisdom (James 1:5) regarding the decisions they need to make for their children and their families. Give them the strength they need to move forward, a strength that comes only from You in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
I pray for their health and their children’s health. That they would lay down each night and be able to sleep in peace (Psalm 4:8). That You would bring peace, healing, and victory where there is anxiety or pain or illness or depression (John 16:33).
I pray that their children would grow daily, as the young Jesus did, in new skills and “in wisdom and in stature and in favor of God and man,” (Luke 2:52). I pray that this year would be full of victories and growth and that they would flourish and bloom in new ways and show off their unique colors to a world desperate for a little more color in it.
I pray that You would be near to the special needs parent who is grieving (Psalm 34:18). Be near them as they ask You their questions. Reveal Your presence, Your will, and Your love in their lives in the unique and special way that only You can. Remind them that You also watched a beloved child be misunderstood and rejected by others, watched Him suffer and longed to remove the pain, but knew there was a plan in it all (John 3:16/Romans 5:8). Thank You God that Your precious son Jesus died for our good and because of Your great love for us.
I pray that You would provide exactly what this family needs (2 Cor 9:8). The finances. The community. The doctors and specialists. The growth and progress and victories.
I pray that this special needs parent would be fully dressed in their armor of God (Ephesians 6). That they would remember that they, and their children, are perfectly and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and deeply loved (Zephaniah 3:17). That they would have Your Word hidden in their hearts and minds (Psalm 119:11), and You would bring to their minds the Word they need most right now.
I pray that in their weakness and their brokenness, they would grow closer to You and stronger in their faith. That they would see You do more than they could ever ask for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
I pray that they would be able to embrace all that You have for them in life. And they would be able to release all the things they are not meant to hold on.
Lord, we love You and trust You. It is in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus we pray,
Amen
If you’re looking for more resources and encouragement to help you in your faith and your prayer life as a special needs parent, I hope my books will be a blessing and an encouraging resource for you:
Embracing This Special Life will help guide you toward hope, spiritual victory, and renewed purpose in your special needs parenting journey. You will find a list of Scriptures to pray for your child(ren) with special needs at the end of the book.
On the Same Page with God is filled with compelling narratives, biblical insights, practical prayer strategies, and lists of Scriptures to pray on a variety of topics (including your children) to help you revitalize your prayer life and deepen your faith with the practice of praying God’s Word.
If you would like to receive a list of additional Scriptures to pray for yourself AND your child with special needs please subscribe below.