5 Prayers for My Brother to Experience God's Blessing

Whatever your brother does for work, whether he is a doctor, construction worker, stay-at-home-dad, or anything in between, it's important to pray for the Lord to bless the work to which he has been called.

Lord, many brothers, like mine, have jobs that come with a risk of injury. I pray you would guide his steps both literally and figuratively and keep him in your care. I ask, as Psalm 91 says, that you would “give your angels charge over him to keep him in all his ways.”  Give him words of kindness and care as he comes in contact with people throughout his day and allow your light to shine through him in all his interactions. As he seeks to help people with something very practical, open up doors for him to speak to their spiritual needs. Let his hard work and faithfulness not go unnoticed and give him favor from managers and may doors open for him as he trusts you with his work.

Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Callum Hill

Strength and courage may be something that is seen outwardly, but more importantly, we should pray for strength and courage of our brother's heart. God desires him to be a man of conviction, truth, and bravery, both in daily small tasks and in big, consequential ones. 

Jesus, your Word says that you have not given us “a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” (1 Tim. 1:7). I’m calling on that promise for my brother. I pray you would give him strength of body to accomplish all he needs to do each day, but also that you would give him a strong mind which is stayed on you. Allow him to trust your Spirit to give him the courage he needs to live boldly for you at work, at home, and with his friends. Give him courage to make decisions that may go against the grain and the strength to “not grow weary in going good” (Gal. 6:9).

Photo credit: Unsplash/Nghia-Le

Whether your brother is single, married, has children or grandchildren, or has the role of an uncle, praying for his relationships is a wonderful way to ask God's blessing on his life. We all inhabit multiples roles in our lives, and we can pray for our brother to live each of them in a way that pleases Christ.

God, I pray for all the people in my brother’s life. Allow them to fill his cup as he so often fills theirs. Thank you for his heart to help others. I pray you would provide Godly friends for him. I pray for his future spouse that you would prepare her heart and let her be a loving, caring person who is a good match for him. Let her be someone who loves his family as well as him and challenges and complements him in all the right ways. I pray you would give him wisdom in all his different relationship roles—that of a friend, son, grandson, uncle, and brother. Thank you for his heart for people. Thank you for the way he shows others he cares like phone calls on my birthday. I pray he would feel appreciated and loved from those who are close to him and that he would never stop looking for opportunities to help and serve others in your name.

Photo credit: ©Toa Heftiba/Unsplash

The Holy Spirit is always ready to work in our lives. In fact, he is always working in our lives to convict us, nudge us to share the Good News with others, or simply to extend kindness to someone. Praying for your brother to have wisdom and discernment when it comes to the promptings of the Holy Spirit is a Scriptural way to ask God to work in his life. 

Lord, my brother is so good at being content. He has invested so much time and energy into building the life he has. He has faithfully fulfilled his responsibilities for years. I pray you would honor that hard work, but that you would also give him wisdom and discernment when you may be telling him to step outside his comfort zone, whether that be a big step like moving or switching careers or a smaller step like how he uses his free time. I pray specifically for his faith—may he feel empowered to choose a church family by the wisdom of your Holy Spirit. Give him a community of people who believe in you where he feels welcome, can grow and learn, and can be himself. Let him be open to any risks you may be calling him to take and give him discernment to know when this nudge is truly from you.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages

No matter our life circumstances, Scripture tells us we can "rejoice always" (1 Thess. 5:16). This "gratitude attitude," as my old Sunday School teacher called it, has the power to change our hearts, and thus change our lives. Cultivating gratitude is a sure way to open the door to more joy.

Lastly, Jesus, I pray you would give my brother your joy. I remember when we memorized the fruit of the Spirit as kids. It’s easy to simply list out these qualities without giving them much thought, but I pray that you would allow him to truly be stopped in his tracks by the joy of the Lord. Allow him to step into the joy you have prepared for him and are always holding out to each of us. Let him feel your smile on him, simply for who he is. Let him rest in the fact that you created him and love him. Allow him to focus on all the blessings in his life and not dwell on mistakes, regrets, or wasted opportunities. Help him to cultivate a daily practice of gratitude that will be the catalyst for more joy. Even in the midst of bad weather, frustrating situations at work, chores piling up around the house, and other irritations we all face, allow him to choose joy and positivity, not only outwardly but deep in his heart.

Several years ago, I was coming back from a visit home to see my family at Christmastime. I was booked on a 6 a.m. flight leaving from the airport which is an hour and a half away from my family’s home. My brother volunteered to drive me, which meant waking up at 3 a.m. It was the first time I was cognizant of the fact that my brother was grown up. And not just grown up, but responsible, caring, and competent. I still feel this sense of amazement when I see him living his adult life and acting like an adult because I wasn’t privy to him becoming one since I was living away from home already. It reminds me what a privilege it is to have a brother.

I now have two little boys of my own—brothers! They are just starting to truly play with each other, and it warms my heart and gives me so much joy and gratitude that God would entrust me with them and be a huge factor in shaping their relationship. Truly, having a brother or being the mother of brothers is a gift. I pray all of us wouldn’t take this blessing for granted but would come to God with prayers of gratitude and intercession on behalf of the brothers he’s placed in our lives.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Smileus