What the Power Of A Praying Parent Bible Study Actually Is
The Power Of A Praying Parent Bible Study is a devotional curriculum designed to help parents pray specifically for their children while working through scripture. It was created by Stormie Omartian and follows a daily format that pairs a biblical passage with guided prayer points. Most versions cover a set number of days, typically around thirty, and each session is short enough to complete in a typical morning routine. I ran this study with a small group at my church about two years ago. We had eight parents signed up and three dropped out before week two. The ones who stayed found it useful, but the attrition rate told me something about how these resources actually get used versus how they're sold.
Power Of A Praying Parent Bible Study: How to Use It Properly
Here's the straightforward way to go through it without burning out or skimming past the actual content. Grab a copy of the study guide along with a Bible. Don't skip the Bible part because the study assumes you're reading the referenced passages, not just the devotional text. Each day has a reading, a prayer focus, and a prompt to write down specific names or situations you want to bring before God. Set aside ten to fifteen minutes at the same time each day. Mornings work best for most people because that's when willpower is highest and distractions are lowest. If you're doing this with a spouse or partner, decide beforehand whether you'll pray together or separately. Separate tends to work better because it keeps the practice personal rather than performative. When we tried praying together as a group in my church setting, the conversations tended to drift toward networking rather than genuine intercession. The written prompts are the part most people skip. They ask you to write down your child's name, a specific area of struggle, and a scripture to claim over that situation. This takes maybe thirty seconds extra but it makes a measurable difference in follow-through. Writing something down forces you to be specific instead of vaguely wishing things would improve.
One edge case I ran into: several parents in my group had teenagers who were actively rebellious or estranged. The standard daily prayers felt inadequate for those situations. What worked for them was expanding the study by adding a second fifteen-minute block later in the day specifically for those harder prayers. The original thirty-day format doesn't account for crisis-level family situations. If you're dealing with something serious like substance abuse or suicide risk, this study alone won't cover it. You need professional counseling and church leadership involvement alongside whatever spiritual practice you're following. Another practical detail that matters: the study includes companion prayers that some parents find helpful to read aloud to their children. If your child is older and skeptical about religion, reading these out loud can create tension rather than connection. I'd recommend keeping those private unless you know your child is open to that kind of interaction. The power of the study comes from the parent's consistent practice, not from converting the child through a recited prayer.
Get the Full Details
Common Pitfalls That Break This Study
The biggest mistake people make is treating it like a checklist. Finish the thirty days, check the box, move on. That defeats the purpose entirely. The study is meant to build a habit of intentional prayer, not to be completed and forgotten. Some people finish in eighteen days because they read two or three sections at once. That's not engagement, that's consumption. Another issue is the assumption that results will be visible quickly. Parents sometimes report back saying the prayers didn't work after two weeks. Prayer isn't a transaction. The study frames things in terms of spiritual warfare and breakthrough, which sets up expectations that don't match how most people experience this practice. A more accurate framing is that consistent prayer changes the parent more than it changes the child. You become more patient, more grounded, less reactive. Those changes do affect family dynamics, but indirectly and slowly. The study also assumes a certain level of Christian literacy. If you don't know how to navigate a Bible or what theological concepts like redemption or sanctification mean, some sections will go over your head. The companion website and audio versions help somewhat, but they don't replace the need for basic biblical literacy. I've seen parents struggle through sections because they couldn't follow the scriptural references without looking up three or four passages each day.
Alternatives Worth Considering
If the Omartian version doesn't fit your situation, there are other approaches. The Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young offers a similar daily format but covers broader life topics rather than focusing specifically on parenting. For parents who want something more structured around scripture memorization, the Essential Bible for Kids curriculum pairs well with a parent prayer practice. If you're dealing with a particularly difficult season with your child, the Focus on the Family has resources that combine counseling advice with prayer guides, which may be more appropriate than a standard devotional study. For those who want something shorter, even ten minutes of daily prayer focused on one specific concern per day can produce results over time. You don't need a purchased curriculum to do that. But the structured approach of the Power Of A Praying Parent Bible Study does provide accountability and direction that most people need to maintain consistency. Without some framework, daily prayer practice tends to become repetitive and eventually gets abandoned entirely.
