If you’re like me, you worry about your family’s health and safety. You worry about someone you love contracting a disease or being influenced by the wrong people. You feel overwhelmed because even when you pray, you wonder….
Do my prayers for protection of my family make any difference? Are my prayers powerful enough to change the present or the future? Does God want to hear them?
Yes. A thousand times yes. A prayer of protection is merely a request for God’s sovereignty in your life. We can’t manipulate God into protecting us—in fact, we don’t have to because we are always in the palm of his hand, if we are his children (John 10:28-29).
While we often pray for safe travel, relationships, and influences over our family members, God has already promised us his protection in Scripture. It’s God’s nature to protect and cherish.
Perhaps this is difficult to remember because so often, our understanding of God’s protection is limited to what we expect out of the Christian life: health, comfort, and safety.
I encourage you to believe what God says about himself: he is your Protector (Yahweh Nissi/”the Lord is my Banner,” Exodus 17:15) and your Provider (Yahweh Jireh/”the Lord provides,” Genesis 22:14).
We can trust God with our health, our comfort, and our safety, even when our lives feel precarious and the future is dark.
If you want to pray a prayer of protection for your family and you don’t know what to say, you can try praying someone else’s words first. You can use the Psalms or the prayers below to help you get started. Feel free to edit these to the specific situation on your mind and release your worries to God your Father.
"Dear Heavenly Father, As we begin this new day, we come before you with hearts full of gratitude for the gift of our family. We thank you for the love, support, and bond that unite us.
We humbly ask for your divine protection over each member of our family. Watch over us, both near and far, as we go about our daily routines. Shield us from harm, accidents, and illness. Guard our hearts and minds against negative influences.
Bless our home with peace, harmony, and unity. Help us to treat one another with kindness and respect, and to be a source of support and encouragement for each other.
Lord, we place our trust in you, knowing that your love is a fortress around us. May your angels encamp around our home, ensuring our safety and well-being as we come in and go out.
Guide our steps, O Lord, and may we always seek to follow your path of righteousness. Grant us wisdom to make wise decisions and the strength to overcome any challenges we may face.
We commit ourselves and our family into your loving hands today and all days, knowing that with you, we are secure and protected. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 4:14)
Lord, I ask for your powerful hand of healing in my family today. I ask for you to bring us healing and protection from disease and sickness. Lord, we pray for protection from illness and infirmity for each member of our family. Shield us from harm, both known and unknown, and keep us safe from the dangers that may surround us. Grant us the strength and resilience to face any health challenges that may come our way, knowing that you are our refuge and our strength. I will trust you and praise you no matter what happens, but I ask for you to protect us and transform us so that we trust whatever you allow into our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord, we ask for your watchful eye to be upon us, both day and night. Protect us from physical harm, illness, and the trials of life. Be our shield and refuge in times of trouble, and grant us the strength to face challenges with faith and courage.
Guide us, O Lord, in all our decisions and actions. Illuminate our path with your divine wisdom and discernment. Help us to make choices that are in alignment with your will and purpose for our lives. May our actions be filled with love, kindness, and compassion towards one another and the world around us.
Grant us patience and understanding in times of disagreement or conflict. Teach us to forgive one another as you have forgiven us, and may our family be a source of healing and reconciliation.
Lord, we also pray for your spiritual guidance. May our faith in you grow stronger with each passing day. May we be rooted in your word and your love. Help us to grow closer to you as individuals and as a family, deepening our relationship with you. We place our trust in you, knowing that you are the source of our protection and guidance. Help us to lean on you in times of need and to always seek your will in our lives. Amen.
Heavenly Father, As the day draws to a close, we gather as a family to seek your protection and guidance through the night. We thank you for the blessings and challenges of this day, and we place our trust in you for the night ahead. Lord, watch over our family as we sleep. Guard our home and surroundings from harm and danger.
We pray for peaceful and restful sleep for each family member. May our minds and bodies be rejuvenated during the night so that we may wake up refreshed and ready to face a new day.
Father, we also lift up our worries and concerns to you. Help us to release our anxieties into your loving hands, knowing that you are in control. Grant us peace in our hearts and minds, knowing that you are our refuge and strength.
We pray for those who are in need tonight, both within our family and beyond. May your healing touch be upon those who are sick, your comfort with those who are grieving, and your provision for those who are in need. We entrust ourselves and our family into your loving care, knowing that you are the ultimate protector and provider. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Lord, I pray Your emotional, physical, and spiritual protection over my kids (grandkids). Keep evil far from them, and help them to trust You as their refuge and strength. I pray You will guard their minds from harmful instruction, and grant them discernment to recognize truth. I pray You will make them strong and courageous in the presence of danger, recognizing that You have overcome and will set right all injustice and wrong one day. Help them to find rest in Your shadow, as they live in the spiritual shelter You provide for them. Let them know that the only safe place is in Jesus, and that their home on earth is only temporary. - by Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Dear Jesus Christ, I want to live an awesome life. And I want to have an awesome family. I know I won’t have either if I just live for myself. So today I give myself to you. As for me and my house, we’re going to serve the Lord. I want my family to be a place of play and fun, not just work and negativity. I want my family to be a place where we encourage each other to grow constantly. I want to be a family that is a shelter in the storm, a safe haven, a refuge. Help me to protect my family — not just their bodies but also their minds. I want my family to serve you by serving others. Help us to find our family mission, our purpose, what you shaped our family to do. Help me to teach my kids to be generous by modeling generosity to God and to others. Help me to have a bifocal vision to not just care about my family but to teach them to care about the whole world. May we model dedication and service and generosity and prayer. I can’t do this on my own, Lord. So I ask you to come into my life and take complete control of every area and give me the power to do the right thing. In your name I pray. Amen.- by Rick Warren
“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3)
Lord, I am afraid of all the things surrounding me and my family. I’m afraid of the past, the present, and the future. I know that you have the power to subdue and eradicate my anxiety and fear. I ask you to take it away and shield me from believing in its power. Help me to trust your goodness and live courageously because I know that you can and will protect me from the things that frighten me. You love me and you only do good to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.” (Colossians 1:9-10)
Lord, I pray for my children, that you will fill them with spiritual understanding of you. I ask for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in their lives. Surround them with spiritual influences. Give them a thirst for your Spirit. I pray for tender hearts to hear and receive your word. Grow them into mighty men and women of God who share your love and mission with the world. May they seek first your kingdom. Protect them from following after an earthly kingdom and the pleasures of this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)
Lord, protect my marriage. Thank you for giving me a picture of the church and how I should live in it, right in my home. I pray for my spouse to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, to seek you above all things. I ask for your guidance and wisdom for myself, that I will respond and act with love, kindness, wisdom, grace, and faithfulness. I pray that we will guard our marriage from influences that will harm it. Help us to forgive freely and never harbor resentment or anger. I pray that we will share Christ’s love through the testimony of our marriage. 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
Faithful Father, You are our protector and guard against all evil. Please shield our children and preserve their innocence. Give them a childhood that will one day bring forth sweet memories. Help us as parents give them a safe refuge and soft place to land in a world overflowing with danger and deception. Also, give us the wisdom on when to speak out with truth and grace to protect our children. Amen. - by Alicia Searl
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Lord, I pray for your Spirit to fall on my country and my community. Protect my family and our culture from idolatry, selfishness, injustice, and corruption. Infuse Christians with love, mercy, and compassion. May our lives glorify your name and bring honor to your Son. Convict lawmakers, leaders, and fellow-citizens to humble themselves before you and seek your wisdom. May we be a people of love and mercy as a light of the gospel of Jesus. In his name, Amen.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
Lord, renew my mind and the minds of my family members. Convict us of sin and protect us from the lies of the enemy that are all around us. Help us to discern truth from error and to defend ourselves against godlessness and idolatry. Fill us with a knowledge and wisdom of your word. Guard us with the power of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10)
Lord, defend my family against my spiritual enemies. Guard our hearts and minds. Protect us from the flaming darts of the evil one. I give you myself and my family; we devote ourselves to prayer and understanding of your word and your mission. With you, we can defeat the devil. He has no power over us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dear God, today we put on the full armor to guard our lives against attack. We put on the belt of truth to protect against lies and deception. We put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from the temptations we battle. We put the gospel of peace on our feet, so we’re ready to take your light wherever you send us this day. We choose to walk in the peace and freedom of your Spirit and not be overcome with fear and anxious thoughts. We take up your shield of faith that will extinguish all the darts and threats hurled our way by the enemy. We believe in your power to protect us and choose to trust in you. We put on the helmet of salvation, which covers our minds and thoughts, reminding us we are children of the day, forgiven, set free, saved by the grace of Christ Jesus. We take up the sword of the Spirit, your very Word, the one offensive weapon given to us for battle, which has the power to demolish strongholds, alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.
We ask for your help in remembering to put on your full armor every day, for you give us all that we need to stand firm in this world. Forgive us God for the times we’ve been unprepared, too busy to care, or trying to fight and wrestle in our own strength.
Thank you that we never fight alone, for you are constantly at work on our behalf, shielding, protecting, strengthening, exposing deeds of darkness, bringing to light what needs to be known, covering us from the cruel attacks we face even when we’re unaware. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen. - by Debbie McDaniel
Father, Most High God, I dwell in Your shelter and abide in Your shadow.
You, LORD, are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. You are faithful to deliver me from my enemies and heal me from illness.
You will cover me, and under Your wings I will find refuge; Your faithfulness will be my shield. I will not fear the terror of the night, the calamity of each day, or the destruction and injustice rampant in the world. Though instability rages all around me, Your peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding, will envelop and comfort me.
I proclaim, You are my refuge, LORD, and I make You, the Most High, the prominence of my heart. No harm will over take me, no disaster will come near me, as I stand firm in Your armor.
You will command Your angels concerning me, to guard me in all my ways. They will lift me up in their hands to protect and guard me from stumbling and falling. You battle my enemies before I need to lift a finger or say a word. I vow to live my life in submission to You daily.
Because I love You, LORD, You promise to rescue me. You will protect me, for I acknowledge Your name. I will call on You, and You will answer me.
You will be with me in trouble, You will deliver me and honor me.
In Christ, I witness Your salvation, and will live eternally with You, LORD my God.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen. - by Meg Bucher
Prayers of protection occur throughout the Old and New Testaments. Here are a few examples of people who prayed when they felt afraid, anxious, or overwhelmed:
David prayed for protection against his enemies (mostly, his father-in-law) multiple times in Psalms. He asked God for vengeance, protection, and purpose. He shared his fear sand promised to trust God’s plan for his life (Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 57, Psalm 59, Psalm 63)
Jesus prayed for his disciples’ growth, unity, and protection from the devil (John 17:12-15)
Jesus prayed for Peter to withstand Satan’s attacks (Luke 21:31-32)
Paul prayed for his churches to grow in strength (2 Corinthians 13:7-9, Ephesians 3:16-19, 1 Thessalonians 3:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, Colossians 1:9-11)
Paul asked his churches to pray for his stamina and boldness in ministry (Ephesians 6:19-20, Colossians 4:2-4) and to pray against spiritual attacks (Ephesians 6: 18-20)
Daniel and his friends prayed for God to reveal Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel so they wouldn’t be killed (Daniel 2:16-19)
Whatever kinds of protective prayers you say, make your request in bold faith that God is going before you and beside you into whatever you face.
Our God is our faithful Protector. That’s who he is. He leads us through suffering. He comforts us in grief. He guides us through temptation. He forgives us when we confess our sins. Because God is loving and faithful, he always protects us, even when it doesn’t feel like it. God cannot go against his own nature. And the nature of a Protector is care and compassion.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Cecilie Arcurs