5 Prayers and Blessings for Grandparents

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.” Proverbs 16:31 NLT

Scripture is clear: grandparents are important. “Throughout Scripture, you find that grandparents (often referred to as ‘elders,’ ‘forefathers,’ or ‘ancestors’), are crucial to God’s plan of salvation for the whole world,” Wayne Rice wrote for Focus on the Family, and “Grandparents have the responsibility of making sure that the baton of faith gets passed from generation to generation.” Prayer is powerful. Often as parents, we pray for our children's futures. But as grandchildren, our prayers for our grandparents are no less important. 

Moses wrote, “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” Deuteronomy 4:9 NLT

 We can pray for our grandparents' minds to remain clear and for their memories to shine brilliantly. Though their physical bodies are aging, we can pray for physical strength for all of their days until the Lord calls them home. It can’t be easy to be in the golden years of life, never knowing the number of days left to witness children and grandchildren… and sometimes great-grandchildren… growing up and into milestone moments they want to witness. President Carter established Grandparents Day, celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day, but we can celebrate them every day by praying for their health, faith, wisdom, and for time with them, before they join the Lord in heaven.

“As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” Titus 2:1-5 NLT

Father, all of the glory is Yours for the lives of our grandparents. The way You weave families together through generations is nothing short of a miracle, and we are in awe of the way You place us together perfectly in families! 

“But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!” Psalm 103:17-18 NLT

Father, we pray today for a healthy fear for Your glory. We pray our lives, and the lives of our grandparents, bring you glory. Today, we pray specifically for the health of our grandparents. Keep them well, Lord, our Physician. When their physical bodies and minds start to give way, surround them with supernatural healing and love through every doctor and nurse who cares for them. Bring a diligence in craft to every doctor’s appointment, hospital room, blood draw, and prescription refill. May Your hand be on their lives and Your will lead them each day until they arrive home to You. 

Lord, You are the Giver of Life, our Maker. We pray today our grandparents will be free from pain and suffering in this life. May their minds be sharp and their bodies able until the number of their days have been accomplished under your hand.

In Jesus’ Name, 

Amen. 

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Dragana991

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT

Father, there is a time for everything and every season. These are truths we know, and though time seems to go slow here on earth, when we sense the light growing dim on our time with our grandparents, we cherish the slow, stretched days with them. Father we want time to absorb their lessons of wisdom, and the stories of their lives. 

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NLT

Time on this earth is precious, and the more of it we live under the influence of those who have gone before us, the more of an opportunity we have to learn and be sharpened by them in our faith and our everyday lives. Let the fullness of who You have made them to be, become evident to us so we can embrace them fully, carrying on their legacy.

In Jesus’ Name, 

Amen.

3. A Prayer for the Faith of Our Grandparents

“Grandchildren are the crowing glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6 NLT

Father, only You know the heart inside each human chest You have breathed into existence. The faith You grow in each of us happens in Your perfect timing, and all of us have a chance to know You and accept salvation through Christ on this earth. 

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15 NLT

We aren’t always privy to the faith of our grandparents… what they believe, and if they believe in You. Today, our hearts break wide open in prayer that they do believe in You and have embraced Your Son as Savior. If they have not, we pray for their hearts to be softened, opened, and ready to receive Him and walk with You eternally. 

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen. 

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime- until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and see you. ‘To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’” Isaiah 46:4-5 NLT

Father, Creator of all which surrounds us and every life on earth, glory to You, the One True, Triune, God in the highest. There are some who live in desperate conditions, physically and mentally. Some of those people are our grandparents. Whether alone in a nursing home, with no one to come visit, or failing in physical health. Sometimes the minds of the ones we love give way and leave before their physical bodies. Father, we pray for the quality of life of our grandparents. We pray it’s peaceful, joy-filled, and full of You.

"Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But hose who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-32 (NLT) 

Your provident hand rests on every life, Lord. Let our grandparents live out the full number of their days with peace, hope, joy, and the best health their physical, earthly bodies will allow until they are home in heaven. Fill their days with miraculous healing and supernatural joy. 

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/HeroImages 

“Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” Psalm 92:14 NLT

Father, the end of a life is a storm of sentimental moments and the need for closure. As our grandparents age, not knowing when You will call them home, we pray for their needs to be met. Not only physical needs of provision, a comfortable home and place to live and food to nourish their bodies. We pray, too, for their healthcare needs to be met through every doctor, nurse, pharmacist, and insurance provider.  

“O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” Psalm 71:17-18 NLT

Let there be ample opportunities available to say what they feel needs to be said, and mend what needs to be mended. May it happen in Your time, by Your will. Grant them peace and security, friendship and community, faith and fulfillment in their lives. 

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’t strength.” Proverbs 17:22 NLT

Grandparents are a treasure here on earth. We can learn and grow, just by taking the time to get to know who they are. Their stories, and their presence in our lives, are never coincidental. God places people in our lives purposefully, including our grandparents. Let us pray for them faithfully, as many of us are a product of their prayers.