When God works in a community, He doesn’t just use adults. He also uses the prayers of kids just like you! Here are some prayers that you can pray to invite God to work in your neighborhood.
Families
Dear God, may the families in my neighborhood enjoy peace in their homes. Help parents to treat each other and their children with love. Help children to respect their parents and be thoughtful of their brothers and sisters. Help families who are separated from each other to feel complete in You. (Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 5:33, 6:1-3; Psalm 68:5)
Relationships
Help my friends and neighbors to be the kind of friend that You are, Jesus: patient, kind, forgiving, and thinking of others first. If any are lonely, help them to find new friends. If any are angry with each other, help them to forgive. Give them strength to resist Satan’s attempts to make them argue with each other. (Col. 3:12-13; 2 Cor. 2:10-11)
Environment
Lord, help me and my neighbors to keep our neighborhood clean and beautiful so that everybody can enjoy it. Help us to recognize that the earth and everything in it are Yours and to thank You when we see Your beautiful creation. (Psalm 24:1, 147:7-8)
Safety
Lord, please surround my neighborhood with Your angels. Keep it safe from anything that would bring harm to the people or property in it. Protect the people in my neighborhood from accidents, injuries, and illnesses. (Psalm 34:7; Isaiah 54:17; 3 John 2)
Earthly blessings
Show my neighbors that You are a loving Father. Give them good gifts like wisdom so they can work and live peacefully. Bless the businesses in my community so that people will have jobs and be able to provide for their families. Help those who have plenty to share generously with those who are in need. (Matthew 7:7-11; Ephesians 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; Acts 2:44-45) Spiritual blessings
Holy Spirit, help my unsaved neighbors to recognize their sin, to trust Jesus as their Savior, and to live according to God’s Word. Please comfort, encourage, and teach those who already believe in Jesus, and give them power to tell others about Him. (John 16:8, 14:16,26; Acts 1:8)
Article excerpted from "PrayKids: Praying for my Neighborhood" by Arlyn Lawrence, © 2006. Used by permission of NavPress, www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.
