One might think I have no business writing a post like this.
One might be right.
Because although my parents are aging in the sense that every human on the face of the planet is getting older day by day, they’re still far from elderly.
But while I may lack personal experience, I’ve had numerous opportunities to observe the examples of my parents and others caring for their aging parents.
People I’ve been blessed to watch firsthand as they’ve loved their elderly parents lavishly and served them sacrificially.
As I think of them and look to the Scriptures, I find plenty of inspiration that will encourage you as you begin praying the Scriptures for your aging parents.
Prayers for Aging Parents & Their Children
If your parents don’t know the Lord as Savior, pray that they would be saved, reminding God that He isn’t willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Ask the Lord to make this your parents’ testimony: “My mouth is filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day.” Pray that the Lord wouldn’t forsake them in their old age, that they might proclaim His might to another generation (Psalm 71:8,9,18).
Ask the Lord to be the strength of your parents’ hearts and their portion forever, even though their flesh and heart may fail (Psalm 73:26).
Pray that by God’s grace, your parents would not be discouraged as they age, knowing that although their bodies are wasting away, their spirits are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Ponder the truth that the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon, still bearing fruit in old age. Ask God to enable your parents to declare, “The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalm 92:12-15).
Ask the Lord to help your father to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Pray that your mother would be reverent in behavior, and not a slanderer. Ask God to help her teach what is good, continuing to serve as an example of love for her husband and children, as well as self-control, purity, industriousness, kindness, and submission to her husband (Titus 2:2-5).
Pray that God would help you to honor your father and your mother all the days of your life (Exodus 20:12). Ask that He would guide you in treating your parents with respect, not rebuking them but encouraging them with a pure heart (I Timothy 5:1-2).
Commit to the Lord your desire to care for your parents in whatever way He desires. Ask Him to help you show godliness to them, returning to them a portion of all they’ve done for you, for this is pleasing in the sight of God (I Timothy 5:4).
Claim God’s promise that He is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Share with Him your needs in relation to caring for your parents, trusting Him to fully equip you for this good work to which He has called you.
Dear Heavenly Father, parents are a precious gift from You. Thank you for allowing me the joy of having my parents for many decades, that I might enjoy them and learn from them. I pray that you would help them to continue growing in grace and in their relationship with You until the very end of their time here on earth. Please grant me wisdom and strength to care for them in a way that honors them, and honors You. It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.
The title of your post caught my eye and I had to read.
It’s been a long few months with my dad, and I have had to face the fact that, yes, my parents are elderly. The man who has always been the strongest person I know has suddenly found himself at more doctors visits than I can keep track of.
It is something we all must face one day, and your post touched me — beautiful prayers.
May God bless you as you care for your aging dad, Christina. I’m so glad you were blessed by these prayers.
At older age,Most of the senior people get depressed.There can be many reasons behind their depression.They need extra care attention which they get from their family members .In addition to that They keep doing the activities in which they are least interested,Hence It increases their frustration level and make them feel anxious and depressed.In such cases,It gets difficult for us to cope up with them.But a little understanding can help them to feel better.Family has to contribute a lot to take care of their.You may know more about senior care at http://www.royalcare.net .
Hello, Sharon, and welcome! Thank you so much for bringing these issues to our attention.
I loved it. We my husband and I age 69 and 65 are grandparents to two little boys that we have been taking care ages 6 and 7. We have been taking care of them ever since they were 4 months and 16 months old. It is a hard job at our age but with the help of our Lord we have been doing it.
Bless you, Yolanda, for caring for your grandchildren. How blessed they are to have you in their lives! I pray for God’s abundant grace, strength, and wisdom for you. Thank you for taking the time to say hello!
Jennifer
I volunteered in a Nursing Home and loved my day to go there. I had a Cheer Cart
I liked that they were treated with dignity and cared for so well.
Again, I have a love for the elderly and I see you do too. Bless your heart for even noticing them. In our country so many people have little patience and sometimes no respect for them. I have had to walk with a cane at times and WATCH OUT if you are walking too slow/…especially if it it a narrow path and people cannot pass you.
We visited Japan a few years ago and they hold the elderly in the highest esteem. hat is as it should be I pray American wake up and realize the Treasure that they are…God bless you in your endeavors.
Thank you so much for this. I must have bookmarked this a while back because I forgot I had this. Recently I’ve found myself at my parents multiple times a day, researching alert systems, costs of assistive living, pondering on selling my home for something where we can all fit so I can have them with me, helping my dad with his advance directive…just heavy stuff. Then I found this page, and it has just blessed me. I’ve been having a lot of spiritual “withdrawls” but these prayers just made major “deposit” in my spirit bank. Thank you and god bless.
Bless you, Jennifer. Your care for your parents honors your Lord and serves as a powerful example to those around you who will one day have similar responsibilities for their parents. Praying and trusting that God’s sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) will prove faithful during this season. Thank you for taking the time to share here!
God Almighty will bless you hundred fold. You are a great Mother you carry a special anointing God is using you to bless lives, family, and young poeple like us. I pray that.God will continue to give you more grace to help us stand in Jesus name Amen
Thank you for this kind word! May God bless you richly as you walk with Him.
Lovely article and prayer points ~thank you! Prayer for our elders is important and they have such great value! As an aside, the last verse you quoted should maybe actually be 1 Timothy 5:4? I was having trouble making 1 Timothy 4:5 fit. If it is meant to be as published, can you help me understand this as it relates to your prayer point? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and Lord bless!
Hi, Trisha, and thank you for stopping by. I’m glad you found these prayer points helpful. You’re correct that I made a mistake in one of the references. The correct reference is 1 Timothy 5:4, as you mentioned. I’ve changed it in the post, so thank you for letting me know so I could provide the correct information for other readers.
I am caring for my elderly mother. She is a true blessing. Everyone loves her smile and sweet spirit. I sometimes get frustrated because she is almost deaf and although she just had cataract surgery, she has difficulty seeing. She broke her hip 2 years ago and had a car accident, so DMV took her license. My brother has washed his hands of her, which leaves me with the responsibility.
I want to thank you for your article which reminds me to be gentle and caring with my mom. I love her so much, but sometimes lose patience with her. I think I am actually going through the grieving process while she is still with me. I pray that I can respond to her the way she deserves, and enjoy her while she is still with me because even though I gripe and feel sorry for myself, I will be lost without her. Thank you for your article. This is just what I needed to read about.
Hello, Cindy, and thank you for sharing your heart with us. Your love for her is evident in your words and also in your actions. Thank you for your beautiful demonstration of self-sacrifice in your care for her; this honors your Savior.
I praise the Lord that you have found some encouragement here, and I will pray that God will strengthen you and sustain you for the calling He has given you. Go to Him daily or even hourly for strength and grace, dear one. He doesn’t want you to go through this alone.
Please pray & remember these verses when praying for elderly – No child will die in infancy; everyone will live a very long life. Anyone a hundred years old will be considered young, and to die younger than that will be considered a curse – Isaiah 65:20 Verses John 3:15, John 17:3, 1John 5:11, 1John 5:13 all mention eternal life for believers in Christ !
Praise God for His eternal life, for all who believe in Him will never die!