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Japanese A short prayer for a troubled son: “Lord Jesus, you know where my son is tonight and what is pulling him down. Keep him from harm, turn him away from what is destroying him, and bring him back to you and to us. Give me patience while I wait. Amen.”
If your son talks about killing himself or hurting someone, is using drugs, or has become violent, get help now as well as praying. In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which also helps people who are worried about someone else, and call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. The Boys Town National Hotline, 800-448-3000, answers parents and teenagers at any hour. For drugs or alcohol, the US government’s SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, refers families to treatment. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans answer on 116 123. There are also more Christian and crisis lines.
Traditional prayers for a son
The Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer of 1928 has several short prayers that fit a son in trouble. They are written for any child or any person, so a parent can say “my son” or his name where the prayer says “them” or “thy servant.”
For a son to stand fast and overcome evil
O Lord Jesus Christ, who dost embrace children with the arms of thy mercy, and dost make them living members of thy Church; Give them grace, we pray thee, to stand fast in thy faith, to obey thy word, and to abide in thy love; that, being made strong by thy Holy Spirit, they may resist temptation and overcome evil, and may rejoice in the life that now is, and dwell with thee in the life that is to come; through thy merits, O merciful Saviour, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Prayers and Thanksgivings, “For Children,” p. 43
For a son who is suffering
O merciful God, and heavenly Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men; Look with pity, we beseech thee, upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy; endue his soul with patience; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; lift up thy countenance upon him, and give him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Prayers and Thanksgivings, “For a Person under Affliction,” pp. 45–46
For a son who is far from home
This family prayer suits a son who has moved out, run away or stopped speaking to his parents.
O God, whose fatherly care reacheth to the uttermost parts of the earth; We humbly beseech thee graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to thee, may be bound together by thy love in the communion of thy Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Family Prayer, “For the Absent,” pp. 596–597
Prayers for a son in particular trouble
Each of these can be said for a teenage son or a grown one. Put his name in place of “my son” if that comes more easily.
When he has fallen in with the wrong friends
Lord, you know the people my son spends his time with and what they are teaching him. Give him the sense to see where they are taking him and the nerve to walk away. Send him one friend who will tell him the truth, and reach the others too. Your word says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Amen.
When he is angry and will not listen
God, my son is angry, and every conversation turns into a fight. Calm him, and calm me. Keep me from answering his anger with mine, and show me when to speak and when to wait. Make both of us “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Amen.
When he is drinking or using drugs
Lord Jesus, my son is using, and I cannot make him stop. Keep him alive and out of harm while he is caught in it. Break the hold it has on him, bring the right doctor or counselor into his life, and give him the will to accept help. Show me how to love him without making it easier for him to keep going. Amen.
When he is in trouble with the law
Father, my son has been arrested, and I do not know what will happen to him. Give him honesty before the police and the court, and a fair hearing from the judge. Keep him safe wherever he is held tonight. Whatever the sentence, let this be the place where he turns around. Amen.
When he has lost hope
God, my son says nothing matters and nothing will change. You heal “the broken in heart” and bind “up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). Reach him in that darkness. Keep him safe from himself, help him say yes to help, and give him one reason tonight to keep going. Amen.
When he is carrying an old hurt or shame
Lord, something happened to my son that he will not talk about, or something he did that he cannot forgive himself for. You see what is underneath the way he acts. Heal that wound, lift the shame, and let him hear that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Amen.
For his safety
Lord, I cannot follow my son everywhere he goes. Watch over him on the road, at night, and in the places I would not want him to be. “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:8). Keep that promise for him. Amen.
For wisdom and direction
God, my son does not know what to do with his life, and he keeps choosing what hurts him. “The LORD giveth wisdom” (Proverbs 2:6): give him some. Show him what he is good at, open a door to work that gives him a reason to get up, and give him the courage to stand by a good choice when his friends laugh at it. Amen.
When he has turned away from God
Lord, my son grew up in church and now wants nothing to do with you. I cannot argue him back. Keep calling him. Put people in his path whose faith he will respect, and do what you promised through Ezekiel: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). Amen.
When he comes home
Father, my son has come back. Help me to welcome him the way the father in the parable welcomed his son, without a list of what he did wrong. Give us patience with each other while trust is rebuilt, and keep him on the road he has chosen. Amen.
Prayers for the parent
For strength to keep going
Lord, I am tired. I have prayed for my son for a long time, and some days I stop believing anything will change. Like the father who brought his son to Jesus, I say, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Renew my strength, as you promised to those who “wait upon the LORD” (Isaiah 40:31). Amen.
When you are angry with him
God, I am furious with my son, and I have said things I regret. Forgive me. Keep me firm about what must not happen in this house, but take the contempt out of my voice. Your word tells fathers, “provoke not your children to wrath” (Ephesians 6:4). Help me to be the parent he needs rather than the one my anger makes me. Amen.
For the rest of the family
Prince of Peace, my son’s trouble has filled the whole house. His brothers and sisters are frightened or resentful, and my marriage is strained. Give each of us patience with the others, and let “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” keep our “hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Amen.
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer also has a short prayer that parents can say for themselves:
Almighty God, heavenly Father, who hast blessed us with the joy and care of children; Give us light and strength so to train them, that they may love whatsoever things are true and pure and lovely and of good report, following the example of their Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Family Prayer, “For the Children,” p. 596
Parents of troubled sons in the Bible
In Mark 9, a father brings Jesus a son who has suffered since childhood from a spirit that “ofttimes” threw him “into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him” (Mark 9:22). The father asks for help without much confidence: “if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.” When Jesus answers that “all things are possible to him that believeth,” the father cries out “with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:23–24). Jesus heals the boy: he “took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark 9:27).
In Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, a younger son takes his inheritance to “a far country” and wastes it “with riotous living” (Luke 15:13). The father does not go after him. When the son comes back, “when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). His reason for the feast is “this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).
King David’s son Absalom led a revolt against his father. Even while his army went out to fight Absalom’s, David ordered his commanders, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5). When Absalom was killed, David wept: “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee” (2 Samuel 18:33).
Is there a saint for mothers of wayward sons?
Catholics ask the prayers of Saint Monica, the mother of Augustine of Hippo. In his Confessions, Augustine writes that for “almost nine years” while he lived as a Manichee, a follower of a religion the Church rejected, his widowed mother “ceased not at all hours of her devotions to bewail my case unto Thee.” She begged a bishop to talk to her son. He told her to leave Augustine alone and “only pray God for him,” and when she kept pleading with tears, he said, “Go thy ways and God bless thee, for it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish” (Confessions, Book 3). Augustine was later converted and baptized in Milan, and Monica died at Ostia, near Rome, in 387.
The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 records that an association of Christian mothers was founded in Paris in 1850 under Monica’s patronage for “mutual prayer for sons and husbands who had gone astray.” It became an archconfraternity in 1856 and spread to Dublin, London, Liverpool, Sydney and Buenos Aires. Catholic and Orthodox Christians ask saints to pray for them. Most Protestants pray to God alone.
Where to get help besides prayer
A troubled son is often helped by more than one person. A pastor or priest, a family doctor and a school counselor can each see things a parent cannot. Boys Town, which runs the 800-448-3000 hotline, also publishes guides for parents at Parenting.org. For drug or alcohol use, SAMHSA’s helpline does not counsel callers, but its information specialists connect families with local treatment and support groups, and its FindTreatment.gov site lists treatment centers by location. The 988 Lifeline advises anyone who fears a person may hurt himself to remove “means, like weapons or pills,” and never to keep a plan to self-harm secret.
Prayer for Divine Protection
When our sons face dangers we cannot see or control, our hearts ache with worry. This prayer is a plea for God’s supernatural shield, asking Him to be a guardian over our son’s body, mind, and spirit in a world full of challenges.
Heavenly Father, the ultimate Guardian, I come before You with a parent’s heavy heart, lifting my son into Your mighty hands. I ask you to place a hedge of protection around him, a divine shield that no earthly or spiritual danger can penetrate. Guard his mind from consuming lies and his heart from temptations that seek to pull him away from Your light.
Lord, I pray for his physical safety. Keep him from accident or harm as he goes about his day. Steer him away from dangerous situations and places where evil might dwell. I ask that You would send Your angels to encamp around him, to watch over him in his coming and his going, in his waking and his sleeping.
Protect him from relationships that would tear him down and lead him astray. Let him feel Your presence as a fortress, a safe place where he can find refuge. May he recognize that his truest safety is found not in his own strength, but in Your constant, loving watchfulness over his life. I place my trust in You, the perfect Protector, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We rest in the assurance that God is a faithful protector who never sleeps. Entrusting our sons to His care brings a peace that surpasses our own understanding. The Bible promises, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life.” (Psalm 121:7)
Prayer for Wisdom and Discernment
A troubled son often stands at a crossroads, needing to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and deception. This prayer asks God to grant him a spirit of wisdom and clear discernment to make choices that lead to life and blessing.
God of all Wisdom, I ask You to pour out a spirit of discernment upon my son. In a world full of confusing voices and conflicting paths, I pray that his mind would be clear and his judgment sound. Help him to see situations not just with his eyes, but with a heart tuned to Your truth.
Lord, quiet the noise of negative influences and foolish advice so he can hear Your still, small voice guiding him. When he is faced with a decision, big or small, I pray he would pause and seek Your will. Give him the ability to see the long-term consequences of his actions and to choose the path of integrity, even when it’s the harder road.
Grant him a healthy skepticism for things that seem too good to be true and a deep attraction to what is honorable and good. Help him discern the character of those around him, to recognize true friends who will build him up and to see through those who would lead him down. May his choices honor you and set him on a foundation of stability and peace, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We can confidently ask for wisdom on our son’s behalf, knowing it is a gift God loves to give. As he learns to make wise choices, he builds a future on solid rock. For, as it says in Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Prayer for a Renewed and Hopeful Heart
Hopelessness can be a dark prison for a young man, making him feel defeated and alone. This is a prayer for God to break through that darkness, heal his emotional pain, and fill his heart with a fresh sense of hope and purpose.
Lord of Mercy, You are the healer of broken hearts. I bring my son before You, and I ask that You would perform a miracle within his spirit. He feels lost, burdened, and perhaps hopeless. I pray that You would lift that heavy weight of despair from his shoulders.
Please reach into the deepest, most wounded parts of his heart and bring Your gentle healing. Where there is cynicism, plant faith. Where there is sadness, cultivate joy. Where there is apathy, ignite a passion for life again. Remind him that he is not defined by his past mistakes or his current struggles, but by Your unconditional love for him.
Help him to see a future full of possibility and promise, a future that You have planned for him. Reignite the dreams and desires you placed within him long ago. Let the light of Your hope shine so brightly in his heart that it casts out all the darkness and fear. Renew his spirit, Lord, and make him new, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we pray for hope, we are asking God to do what He does best: bring life from death and light from darkness. We trust that God can restore our son’s spirit. Ezekiel 36:26 promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.”
Prayer to Break Negative Influences
Harmful friendships and negative environments can wrap around a young man’s heart like chains, pulling him away from his true self. This prayer asks God to powerfully sever those unhealthy ties and to surround our son with positive, life-giving relationships.
Almighty God, You have the power to break every chain. I come to you today asking that You would intervene in my son’s life and protect him from the hold of negative influences. I pray against the voices that encourage destructive behavior and the pull of environments that glorify darkness.
Lord, please open my son’s eyes to see truth clearly. I ask that You would place a conviction in his heart, an inner discomfort with conversations and activities that dishonor You and harm his own soul. Give him the strength to walk away from temptation and the courage to stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone.
I also pray for those who are influencing him; may Your light reach them as well. Surround my son with godly mentors and true friends who will speak life into him and encourage his best self. Replace the brokenness with wholeness and the negative bonds with relationships that reflect Your love, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We fight this battle not in our own strength, but through the power of prayer. We ask the Lord to do the work we cannot, separating our son from harm and drawing him toward godliness. As 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
Prayer for a Godly Purpose
A young man without a sense of purpose is like a ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly. This prayer is an appeal for God to reveal to our son that his life has immense value and a unique, God-given purpose waiting to be discovered.
Creator God, You designed my son with intention and for a unique purpose. Right now, he feels lost and unsure of his path. I pray that you would cut through his confusion and begin to reveal the wonderful plans you have for his life.
Awaken in his heart a sense of destiny. Show him the special gifts, talents, and passions you have placed within him. Help him to see that these are not random, but are tools You have given him to make a difference in this world for Your glory. Guide him toward opportunities where he can use these gifts for good.
Replace feelings of worthlessness with the powerful truth that he is Your masterpiece, created for good works. Steer his heart away from temporary, hollow pursuits and toward a calling that will bring him lasting fulfillment and joy. Let the discovery of his purpose be the anchor for his soul, giving him direction, motivation, and a reason to rise above his troubles, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Knowing you were made for a reason is a powerful motivator for change. We pray with faith that God will guide our sons toward their calling. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Prayer for Healing from Past Wounds
Often, troubling behavior is a symptom of a deeper, unhealed wound from the past. This prayer asks the Great Physician to gently mend the secret hurts in our son’s heart, whether they come from trauma, rejection, or failure.
Lord Jesus, the Wounded Healer, You understand our pain better than anyone. I lift my son to You and ask for your deep, restorative healing to touch the wounded places in his soul. You see the hurts that he hides from the world and even from himself—the scars left by past failures, rejection, or trauma.
I pray that You would gently uncover these wounds and pour your healing balm upon them. Where there is bitterness, bring forgiveness. Where there is shame, bring Your grace. Where there is fear, bring Your perfect love that casts out all fear. Help him to release the pain of the past so it no longer has power over his present or his future.
Allow him to feel safe in Your presence, to grieve what was lost, and to receive the comfort that only You can provide. Rebuild his sense of self-worth on the truth of who he is in You: loved, valued, and completely whole. Heal him from the inside out, Father, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God’s healing is more profound than any other remedy. It goes to the root of the problem and restores the soul. We trust in His promise from Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Prayer for Courage and Moral Strength
It takes immense courage to resist temptation and to choose what is right, especially when it’s unpopular. We pray for our son to be filled with a God-given moral fortitude to stand firm in his convictions and a holy boldness to live with integrity.
Lord of Hosts, the source of all true strength, I pray that You would fill my son with courage. I ask not for worldly bravado, but for a deep, unshakable moral strength that comes only from You. In moments of temptation, give him the power to say “no” with conviction.
When he faces peer pressure to compromise his values, make him brave enough to walk away or to stand firm in the truth. Silence the voice of fear that tells him he must conform to fit in. Replace it with the quiet confidence of knowing he is approved by You, which is all that truly matters.
Strengthen his backbone, Lord. Help him to be a man of integrity, whose actions align with his best self. Let him find his strength not in his own willpower, which can fail, but by depending on Your endless supply. May he be strong and courageous, knowing You are with him wherever he goes, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting rightly in spite of it. We pray for our son to be empowered by God’s own Spirit. This is our hope, as encouraged in Joshua 1:9: “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.”
Prayer for a Humble and Teachable Spirit
Pride and stubbornness can be the greatest barriers to growth, preventing a young man from accepting help or guidance. This prayer asks God to soften our son’s heart, granting him the humility to learn, grow, and receive the wisdom offered to him.
Gracious Father, You resist the proud but give grace to the humble. I pray today for my son’s heart. I ask that You would soften any part of him that has become hard with pride or stubbornness. Remove the defensive walls that prevent him from receiving correction or admitting he needs help.
Please instill in him a humble and teachable spirit. Help him to see that true strength is found in being able to learn from others and from his own mistakes. Give him the grace to listen to the wisdom of parents, mentors, and most importantly, Your Word. Let him see guidance not as a judgment, but as a loving gift.
May he develop a posture of humility before You, Lord, acknowledging his need for Your direction in his life. Help him to stop relying solely on his own understanding and to trust in You with all his heart. May this humility open the door for You to work powerfully in his life, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A humble heart is fertile ground for God’s work. When our sons are willing to learn, they are positioned to grow and overcome any obstacle. We are reminded in Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Prayer for Peace in the Home
A child’s struggle sends ripples of stress and sorrow throughout the entire family. This prayer is for God to pour out His supernatural peace upon the home, calming anxious hearts and mending strained relationships so the family can be a source of healing.
Prince of Peace, our home feels the weight of my son’s troubles. There is tension in the air, worry in our hearts, and sometimes, conflict in our words. I invite You into the atmosphere of our home and ask You to release Your calming presence in every room.
Please grant me, my spouse, and my other children a special measure of Your grace and patience. Help us to respond to difficult situations with love instead of anger, and with wisdom instead of frustration. Heal the strained relationships and restore the bonds of affection that have been damaged by this difficult season.
Let our home become a sanctuary of grace for my son, not another place of conflict. May he feel love and acceptance here, even when we must enforce difficult boundaries. Lord, let Your peace, which transcends all understanding, guard our hearts and our minds as a family. Unite us in love and in purpose as we navigate this trial together, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God’s peace is a powerful force that can transform a tense environment into a place of refuge. It guards our hearts and allows love to flourish even in hard times. Philippians 4:7 promises, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer for Forgiveness and Restoration
Guilt and shame can be heavy burdens that keep a young man trapped in a cycle of bad choices. This prayer is for our son to fully receive God’s forgiveness, learn to forgive himself, and experience the joy of being fully restored to God and family.
God of endless mercy and compassion, I lift up my son, who may be carrying a heavy burden of guilt and shame. Lord, I pray that the truth of Your complete forgiveness would wash over his soul and set him free. Help him to understand the depth of Your love, that there is no mistake so big that it can separate him from You.
I ask that you would help him to forgive himself. Silence the inner voice of condemnation that replays his failures. Replace it with Your voice of grace, which says he is cleansed, renewed, and redeemed. Give him the strength to forgive others who may have hurt him, releasing any bitterness that holds his heart captive.
Lord, I pray for restoration. Restore what has been lost. Restore his joy, his self-respect, and his hope for the future. Restore his relationships with family and with You. Thank You that You are a God who doesn’t just forgive but who also lovingly restores us to a place of honor, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God’s specialty is redemption. He loves to take our broken pieces and restore them into something beautiful and new for His glory. We claim this for our sons, holding onto the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Prayer for a Return to Faith
Ultimately, the deepest healing and surest guidance for a troubled son comes from a vibrant relationship with God. This prayer is a heartfelt plea for the Holy Spirit to draw our son’s heart back to his faith foundation, reigniting a personal love for Jesus.
Faithful God, You are the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one who has strayed. I pray for my son, who has wandered from the faith he was taught. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would gently and persistently pursue his heart, drawing him back to Yourself.
Please remove the spiritual blindness that keeps him from seeing his need for You. Break down any walls of doubt, disappointment, or rebellion he may have built around his heart. I pray that you would place people in his path who radiate the authentic love of Jesus and that he would have a personal encounter with Your grace that is too real to deny.
Awaken a spiritual hunger in him once again—a desire for truth, a longing for connection with his Creator. Remind him of the peace he once knew in You. Let him remember Your faithfulness and turn his face toward home, into Your loving and eternally open arms, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
No heart is too far gone for God to reach. As parents, we stand in the gap, praying with hope and persistence for our son’s return to his firm foundation. We trust the promise of Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Prayer for a Parent’s Strength and Patience
Loving a troubled son is exhausting—it drains us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This prayer is for us, the parents, asking God for the supernatural strength, unwavering patience, and profound hope needed to continue loving our son well through the storm.
Lord, my Comforter and my Strength, I confess that I am tired. My heart is weary, my patience is thin, and somedays my hope falters. I cannot do this in my own strength. I ask you to pour out Your divine strength into my spirit right now.
Please grant me an endless supply of patience, to love my son through his struggles without giving up. Help me to see him through Your eyes—not just his behavior, but the hurting child underneath. Give me wisdom to know when to be firm and when to be gentle, when to speak and when to be silent and pray.
Guard my heart from resentment and despair. Fill me instead with a resilient hope that is anchored in Your power, not in my son’s progress. Help me to be a steady, loving presence in his life, reflecting Your own unconditional love for him. Sustain me, Lord, for this long and difficult journey, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We cannot pour from an empty cup. It is vital to seek God’s strength for ourselves so we can be the parents our sons need. We can lean on Isaiah 40:31: “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
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