A Prayer for God's Protection over Your Family
By Peyton Garland
Bible Reading
"One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts." Psalm 145:4
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I asked God to protect my oldest son from Type 1 Diabetes. It runs in the family, so a specific prayer of mine, as I rocked him to sleep night after night, was that this disease would bypass his little body. But just a month ago, we were faced with the gutting reality that his pancreas doesn’t work as it should.
The human part of my muddied heart wants to ask God why His definition of protection still involves so much hurt and pain. But the less-muddied part of my human heart also knows that God isn’t afraid of or angry with my questions. In fact, I imagine He gets a bit excited when I ask Him hard things.
I think about when my boys are grown and out of the house, and I know that getting a phone call from them—even when they are flustered, confused, or pounding me with “adulting” questions—will make me feel like the happiest parent in the world.
When your children come to you with questions, it’s because they trust that you have the answers. In other words, it’s an act of faith when we ask God hard things, even when we are confused or hurt.
This doesn’t mean we come to God with malice. He is God; He is our Father. As such, He deserves unwavering respect. But coming to Him in prayer, asking Him for anything, is a protection for the soul. And though we want, and often beg, God to physically protect our family members, how often do we ask Him to—above all else—shield their spirits?
The other day, my husband ran into the home improvement store with my oldest son, and I sat in the car with our six-month-old son, scrolling. I found a note in my phone that was a prayer I had written for my oldest son before he was born:
“I could pray life is easy, too easy, for you. I could spill out pleas to God that beg for nothing short of bliss for the boy you are and the man you will be. Yet… I’ve discovered contentment is only born after we’ve survived the winds, slain the dragons, and stood by the defenseless. To love you bravely, I must pray that your life is the opposite of effortless…
I pray you doubt God to discover His faithfulness, that you become angry with Him to discover he is long-suffering, and that you break before him to discover His healing.
I pray you know Him so you can know yourself.”
Turns out, I was praying for God to protect my son’s soul by whatever means necessary. I was praying for God to make a way for my son to know Him intimately.
Undeniably, God was—and is—answering my prayer to protect my boy.
And though I’m not a fan of the method He has chosen, I can rest in the knowledge that He safeguards my child. Where my son’s little pancreas might not work, God’s hand is working a story of bravery and courage. Jesus replaces my grief with grace, my son’s earthly loss with his heavenly purpose.
Perhaps being protected isn’t the same as feeling safe. Perhaps we are safest when we fulfill our high calling, no matter the dangers or sacrifices it entails.
And maybe that’s what will give our families an eternal legacy to pass down from generation to generation.
What an honor. What a blessing.
Let’s Pray
Lord, protect my family. Shield their bodies from disease and pain. Safeguard their minds from lies and trauma. Seal their souls so nothing on earth or in hell can touch them. We ask that our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, and all others who make up our family trees know gray hair and withered hands, but we also pray that they know your salvation, your glory, your faithfulness, and your miracles.
Bless us as we walk in your ways, and help us trust your good hand when your protection doesn’t match our idea of or preference for safety. Gift us with brave hearts, open hands, and bold expectations for all you have in store.
In your holy name I pray, Lord God, Amen.
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