Have a loved one you want to pray for but don’t know how to pray? Try personalized prayers using Scripture—they are a powerful way to petition God for a loved one. He is the one who can soften their heart and change their life.
Here are 5 Scriptural ways to pray for a loved one:
1. Psalm 44:20-21—God knows our hearts.
“If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart, for he knows the secrets of every heart.”
Pray: God, You know _______’s heart. You know their secrets and the hidden things that I will never know. Father, guide _______ in the secret places of their heart. Shine Your light in their heart—and drive away any darkness. Heal their heart. Dear God, help _______ to live their life with the knowledge that you know their heart and everything that is in it.
2. Acts 15:8-9—God purifies our hearts by faith.
“God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.”
Pray: God, I pray that You will help _______ to accept Christ as their Savior and to grow in their relationship with You. Please remove anything that stands in the way of their salvation. And I thank You that You will accept them by giving them Your Holy Spirit to purify their heart by faith.
3. Jeremiah 17:10—God searches our hearts.
“But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Pray: God, search _______’s heart and examine their mind. Lead them in the way where they can be of service to You. Thank You, God, that You will reward _______’s deeds of obedience. And even more, God, thank You for putting in their heart the desire to want to do good.
4. Deuteronomy 8:2—God tests our hearts.
“Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.”
God, I pray that as You test _______’s heart, You will help them to know that You are interested in what’s in their heart and want to help their heart to heal and to know You and the peace that only You can bring. I pray You will give _______ the heart to know You and obey You completely.
5. Exodus 10:1-2—God hardens and softens hearts. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD.’”
Pray: God, I know You hardened Pharoah’s heart so that You could reveal Yourself to Your people and the unbelieving Egyptians. And I know that Your plans for _______ to glorify You are far above anything I could ever imagine. Yet I pray, God, that You will keep _______’s heart soft toward You. Protect them from hardening their heart.