Praying for God’s protection for individual and family
God promised the children of Israel that He will never leave them, or forsake them. Those who have submitted to Christ’s lordship are the adopted children of the God of Israel. We can claim some of the promises from the Jewish Bible, aka the Christian Old Testament (OT), in addition to promises in the New Testament (NT), provided we understand the original context in which God made those promises. Some of the promises in the OT are strict prophecies to the Israelites, which are yet to be fulfilled, some are promises of what God will do for those who believe in Him and honor Him. For example, for forty years, God protected the Israelites and guided them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13: 20 – 22; 14: 19 – 20). God can, and does put a hedge of protection around His children today.
Jesus prayed to the Father to keep His Disciples and future believers safe and promised that He will always be with them. (John 17:15ff; Matthew 28: 16 – 20). He also promised to be with His disciples in the form of the Holy Spirit. There are many more such promises in the Bible.
Example of a prayer an adult can pray for personal protection:
“Father, You are the Great Protector, my Supreme Guardian. You are my refuge and my fortress. You guard my dwelling, you shield me under your wings and protect me from all evil and danger. LORD, you said you will never leave me, nor forsake me, please put a hedge of protection around me. Watch over my coming and going night and day. Guide my feet away from danger and keep me safe, I pray, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Example of a prayer for God to protect your family:
“Father, You are the Great Protector, our Supreme Guardian. You are our refuge and our fortress. Thank you for watching over my family. Shield them under your wings, protect them from all evil and danger. Let your Holy Spirit guard our home. LORD, you said you will never leave us, nor forsake us, please put a hedge of protection around my family. Watch over their coming and going night and day. Guide their feet away from danger and keep them safe, I pray, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Example of a prayer that a young person can pray:
“God, please protect me and keep me safe from all bad things, I pray, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Scripture References
Exodus 13: 20 – 22; 14: 19 – 20
Psalm 27: 1 – 6; 34: 1- 8; 91: 1ff; 121: 1ff (in context, this Psalm applies to Israel); 127: 1(b)
Matthew 28: 16 – 20