Skip to content ↓

A Parent’s Prayer for an Unbelieving Child

Being the Answer to Prayer

I have become quite a fan of Kathleen Nielson’s new set of prayer books for parents. Through four short volumes she provides prayers for parents of young children, of teens, of young adults, and of adult children. This prayer is from the volume dedicated to prayers for young adults and asks the Lord to save an unbelieving child.

Break your light upon my child’s heart, O Lord who only said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. You sent your light into this world, a light that shines in darkness and is not ever overcome.

O shine the light of Jesus in his heart, merciful Father, by your Spirit, that my child may believe.

Thank you, sovereign God, that you hold my beloved child in your hand. You always have, and all my efforts—sometimes feeble or foolish, sometimes wise—you know, you use, according to your plan. I know that you are sovereign and that you are good, and so I still my yearning soul before your throne.

In you is life, fully revealed and given in your Son who died for sinners who deserve that death, who rose that sinners who believe might live. Enlarge my heart, I pray, to yearn for many sinners to believe and live.

But now I stop to pray again, and I will pray again, O Lord of life: please shine the light of Jesus in his heart, that my child may believe.


  • Happy Lies

    Happy Lies

    I’m quite certain you have heard of the New Age movement. Though its popularity seems to have crested and begun to wane some time ago, it continues to wield a good bit of influence. But I wonder if you’ve heard of another similarly-named but quite different movement called New Thought.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 28)

    A La Carte: Parenting is hard / The wildness of orthodoxy / Rubbing shoulders throughout eternity / Glorifying ourselves / The middle of somewhere / Is Roman Catholic baptism valid? / Excellent Kindle deals / and more.

  • Who Am I?

    It is not simply that we as a culture have lost our knowledge of God, but that in so doing we have also lost sight of ourselves. “Who am I?” is the question of the age.

  • Church cemetery

    If I Could Change Anything about the Modern Church

    I have often been asked what I consider the greatest weakness of today’s church or what I would change about today’s church if I could. Such questions make for good discussion at a conference Q&A session but they are also pretty much impossible to answer in a compelling way. It’s not like any of us…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 27)

    A La Carte: To men delaying marriage / A mother unknown / Steve Lawson update / Three essential values for effective teamwork / God is good even when he doesn’t do what we want / Kindle deals.

  • Closet

    How To Learn To Pray

    Christians are well-resourced with tremendous books that teach the theology and the practice of prayer. Many churches and ministries offer powerful classes that teach why we must pray and how we must pray. We are truly blessed.