Praying God Protects Who We Love

If only. If only bubble wrap protection would do the job. Before our son left to study abroad in Paris, I searched high and low for protective measures. I stocked his first aid kit with medications for common ailments. We talked about how to stay safe in a foreign country and where he could go for help. Plans were made to stay in touch. If layering bubble wrap around him would have eased my worries, then yes, I might have tried it. To his credit, in his 21 years, my son has learned it is best to humor his mother in her endeavors to protect and care for him.

Throughout life, we watch our loved ones, of all ages, travel into many unknown territories — not just new countries. They may switch schools, change jobs, move residences, get married, start families, serve in the military, or battle illness. Watching them encounter the uncertainties of life makes us feel uneasy, sometimes even fearful. Our desire to protect them stirs.

We work at foreseeing challenges and helping them prepare, but they will still face uncontrollable, unpredictable, and even unfavorable events. How do we rest in knowing that? How do we find peace?

For me, this time when my son left on his trip, I felt oddly different. Instead of being preoccupied with worry, I was calm and reassured. Perhaps he has broken me in, so to speak, with all of his traveling the last few years? Or, maybe I am seeing some true benefits of prayer? Honestly, it’s probably a little of both!

But, this time before his departure, I prepared myself in a new way. Months before he packed any of his belongings, God kept nudging me to think about what my son might need spiritually in his time away and to pray for him. At first, I prayed using Scriptures which focused solely on his physical safety. Then, I started thinking about how God also protects us through the guidance he provides, and I added some of those Scriptures to my prayers as well.

Here are a few ways I am learning to pray for God’s protection over all the people I love (and a few photos from my son’s travels while studying abroad): 

Pray loved ones understand their need for God  

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17 NLT

If life is full and flowing smoothly, a need for God is not always apparent. When trouble comes, the world tells us we can fix things with more of its offerings like material goods, success, beauty, or accomplishments.

When we pray our loved ones understand their need for God, we are praying they do not love the things of the world more than they love God. Our hope is for them to grow in faith, to seek God’s promises when they need hope, and to live by the Holy Spirit — full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

 Throughout their lives, we pray our loved ones will recognize it is God, not the world, that can provide what their spirits lack.

Pray they trust God and turn to him for help

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

When important choices are in front of us, sometimes we are afraid to let anyone else weigh in on the matter. Trusting someone’s ability to help us is hard — even when that someone is God. But, God only wants the best for us. Taking time with our decisions and seeking God’s input through solitude, prayer, Scriptures, or wise advisors protects us by helping us make sound decisions.

When our loved ones make important decisions, we pray they look beyond self-sufficiency and trust God’s direction and protection. 

Pray they are encouraged by God’s presence

This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NLT

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. Psalm 91:11 NLT

God assigns angels to guard and protect his believers wherever they go. The Bible does not say God’s angels stop watching over us when we reach a certain age. As God’s representatives or ministering spirits, angels can guide and protect us, throughout life, in many ways using messages, circumstances, or actions.

While we pray the lives of our loved ones are full of protective faith, we also pray God surrounds them with angels to watch over them.   

Pray they recognize God’s goodness

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT 

Press on in faith, my friends! ~Jamie

Other Related Posts:

The Serenity Prayer: a Road Map for Peace

A Hand to Hold (letting children go)

Trusting God Along the Eagle Trail: Isaiah 40:31

Inspiring Resources:

Omartian, Stormie. The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children. Harvest House Pub., 2014.
Batterson, Mark. The Circle Maker. Zondervan, 2011.
Lucado, Max. Before Amen. Thomas Nelson, 2014.