Depression, anxiety disorders and similar mental health issues are becoming more and more common in today’s world. Our children are confronted with an overload of information and images that previous generations knew nothing about. Social media and streaming platforms scream for our children’s attention, showing them things that can trigger fear and anxiety. A broken self-image, comparison, discontentment and anxiety are among the consequences of these developments.
That’s why it’s important that we pray for our children’s mental health on a regular basis. You can pray these prayers for your own children, grandchildren, children in your community, or children in your care. You can replace the term “my children” and the pronoun “them” with the name of the child(ren) you are praying for.
A guarded heart
Father, please help my children to guard their hearts. You see how young they are and how the internet overwhelms them. They see images and have access to information that should be hidden from their hearts. Meet my children in the moments when they are overwhelmed in front of the screen. Guide them to learn to discern what media is good for them and what is not.
You see the fear, anxiety and other feelings media content has already triggered in my children. I ask that you touch and renew these places in their minds and subconscious. Free my children from fears and lies that have taken hold and thought patterns that are not of you.
Please bless and safeguard the mental health of my children. Plant good thought patterns and habits in their hearts so they can grow up healthy from within. Show them the way, and guide me on how to support my children. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
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Self-Image
Father, help my children recognize their worth. You alone determine our worth because you created us. And you have said that my children are fearfully and wonderfully made. Because you have created them, they are good just as they are. Give them the deep certainty that they are enough and that you have their back. Pour your love and unconditional acceptance into the hearts of my children so they can stand firmly in their worth.
The world continually tries to deny their value. Meet my children in moments when they don’t feel good enough. Help them hold onto the truth and to only bind their worth to what you say about them.
Digital platforms, in particular, provide many opportunities for comparison. Protect my children from discontentment and help them recognize that every person has strengths and weaknesses. Show them the wonderful personalities they carry within themselves, and teach my children to love themselves. In Jesus’ name, amen.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14
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Strengths and Weaknesses
Father, please help my children to see themselves as they truly are. You have placed wonderful strengths and talents within them. Please bring them out and show my children which strengths they can develop further. Each gift is a present from you. Help them recognize this and be grateful for it, and to bravely use their talents.
But also, help my children make peace with their weaknesses. We don’t have to excel at everything, but as members of one body, we rely on others while also being called to fulfill our part with our talents. Help them understand that it’s okay to have weaknesses and to accept them, knowing that through their weaknesses, you can be strong.
Work in the hearts of my children so that they can develop a healthy and truthful self-image. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
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Engaging with digital media
Father, you see how streaming platforms and social media capture the attention of my children. Grant them wisdom in dealing with digital devices and media. Nurture a healthy balance and foster the development of a healthy approach. The consumption of digital media is not inherently bad, but the quantity and type of media can negatively impact the development of my children. Guide us in finding a healthy balance together.
Help my children recognize which people on social media and which streaming services are beneficial for them and which are not. Assist them in discerning what they should consume and what they should avoid. Grant them much wisdom and insight so they can navigate digital media wisely.
Father, please be present when my children surf the internet and watch videos. Work within their hearts so they may become wise. Help them become aware of themselves and their feelings when consuming media, so they can recognize the impact of the content on their own hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6
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Depression
Father, too many people in today’s world suffer from depression. Free my children from depressive thoughts and feelings. Uproot any causes of depression from their hearts. In you dwells the fullness of life and freedom. Jesus, you died so that we could be free. Lead my children into complete freedom, so they are not held back by depressive thoughts but can live their lives and serve you joyfully.
If my children experience sadness and low mood, I ask you to meet them where they’re at. These feelings are normal for certain periods and are part of life. Help them learn to cope with them and express their own emotions. You are close to all who are in despair. Please grant my children new courage so they don’t get stuck in feelings of depression but, with your help, find a way out. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes 11:10 (NKJV)
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Fear and anxiety
Father, help my children recognize that fear is a part of life. It is there to protect us from dangers. However, fear can also take irrational forms and restrict the lives of my children. Please address this directly in their hearts. Free them from unfounded fears, for true freedom is found in you. Help them understand why they carry these fears within them and on what lies they are based. You alone are the truth, Father. Please speak truth into the hearts of my children so they can find new courage and let go of their fears.
Show them that they are never alone and that your loving presence is always with them. Meet my children as a helper, provider, redeemer, and the loving Father that you are. Because when you are near them, they have no need to fear. Let this truth sink deep into their hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
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Peace and Rest
Father, give my children your peace and tranquility. You see the chaos in the world and its effects on their thoughts and feelings. Be the strong rock and deep calm to which my children can flee. For only in you can true and lasting peace be found.
For your peace goes deeper than the calm achieved through exercise, relaxation, or breathing exercises. The peace you provide is based on what Jesus has done for us. Help my children enter into this peace, live in it, and find rest in it. Uproot every worry, desire, and conviction from their hearts that hinders them from experiencing your peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
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Dealing with Feelings of Rejection
Father, you see the rejection that my children experience and have already encountered in their lives. These can be wounds in their hearts caused by the words of their peers that have deeply affected them. We have all faced rejection from others. Heal the wounds that have arisen from such experiences and shatter the lies about their self-image that have taken hold. Grant my children hearts that forgive quickly so that bitterness cannot take root.
Help my children recognize that their worth is not altered by the rejection of others and that people’s opinions matter less than they think. No human has determined their worth, but only you, Father. And you do not reject my children. Let them deeply understand this truth and hold onto it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 118:6
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15
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The Unseen World
Father, we know that there exists a world that we cannot see and about which we know little. Evil is at work and influences all of us. Please free my children from all curses, strongholds, oaths, or occult bondages, whether through their ancestors or triggered by experiences. Whatever is happening in the unseen realm concerning my children that does not align with your name, Jesus, I ask you to break it.
Let no weapon forged against them be successful, and thwart all plans of evil over their lives. Destroy every scheme and influence that evil has over my children. In your name, Jesus, I place my children under your protection. Surround them with angels who guard and protect them. Grant them the gift of discernment to distinguish what is from you and what is not. In Jesus’ name, amen.
„No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,“ declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18
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Embracing doubts
Father, you see the inner struggles that my children are going through. Sometimes, they doubt your existence, your work in their lives, your goodness, grace, and your promises. Let these doubts be a compass that leads them into a deeper relationship with you. Speak to my children and let them discover the truth. Encounter their doubts and reveal yourself to them so that they can hold onto you anew and grow in their relationship with you.
For many things, we find no explanations. We ourselves confront you with difficult questions and do not want to settle for easy answers. Help my children to understand that in this world, we may not receive many answers, but you are faithful and bigger than their doubts. Give them the courage to live with open questions and build their lives not on knowledge but on faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24
For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
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What other prayers would you add for the mental health of our children?
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Read more:
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10 things to pray while pursuing the one
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