New babies are some of God’s best work. Whether it’s your first grandchild or your ninth, each one is a little miracle fresh from heaven.  At the birth of a new baby, let’s thank God for blessing our family and invite Him to continue His work in the lives of our grandchildren from the very beginning. Below are 11 ways to offer prayer for newborns. (While you’re at it, pray for all the other babies born in the same hospital or on the same day as your new grandchild.)

Psalm 127:3 NLT*

Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.

Short prayer for newborns.

Lord, thank you for blessing our family with this new baby. Thank you that the waiting is over and they are here. He/she is truly a gift from you. It is amazing to me, Lord, that when you came to earth, you were a baby just like this.

Please Lord let this baby be healthy and help mom recover from childbirth quickly and completely. I ask for your protection for them during this vulnerable time. Please cause this baby to form a secure attachment to his/her parents and enable (baby’s name) to eat and sleep easily.

I pray this child would fulfill every purpose you have for them, and their identity would be that of a Child of God. Amen.

Congratulations!

You have a new grandbaby. A small, cuddly life with unknown potential. Even more, you have a new birthday to celebrate forever. So many joyful phone calls to friends and family, announcing the exciting news.

Prayers of gratitude come easily. When you hold a new baby, it’s like touching eternity. A gift from God with his daddy’s eyes or her mama’s mouth. Take some time to be joyful and celebrate. Every time you hold them, you can offer God praise for His wonderful generational plan.

We want this baby covered in prayer. Raised in prayer. Surrounded and protected by God and His angels. And so, we start in with prayer for newborns.

Thanksgiving prayer for newborns.

Don’t you just love the way your heart expands when a new baby is born? If ever there is a time for thanking God, it is now.

Lord, I am so grateful to you for my darling grandchildren. They are truly gifts from you. Thank you for the way you have knit them together and for giving each of them a unique purpose in this life. I am grateful for this season where I get to help nurture these precious little children.  Thank you for letting me become a grandma (grandpa).

And thank you now for (baby’s name). A little miracle! You are good, Lord, and I am so grateful for this addition to our family. Thank you for this baby, born to these parents at this time.  Amen.

Good Health:

Ask God to protect your new little baby from viruses, infections, and serious disease. Pray that he/she would meet all their developmental milestones and that their doctor would have God’s wisdom to catch any problem early.

Special prayer for newborns who are premature or born unhealthy:

Lord, I know you know what is happening with (baby’s name). You formed this child from head to toe, inside and out. So, Lord, you know what this baby needs to be healthy, and I pray that you would heal them now. Please have mercy on this child and his/her parents and let this child grow up strong and healthy. Let his/her doctors have your wisdom in knowing how to treat (baby’s name). Please comfort and encourage (baby’s name’s) parents and increase their strength and faith. Turn our mourning into gladness, in your mercy, by healing this baby. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Eating:

This basic activity comes so naturally to adults but when new babies don’t sleep or can’t get the milk they need, it can become a household crisis. I remember having to feed my granddaughter with a syringe and a tiny tube her first week of life, due to tongue tie, and it was tough. Tough on the parents, and frustrating for the baby. It is serious when a baby can’t get the nutrition they need. Let’s pray that the child will be successful at eating and have an abundance of milk.

Sleeping:

Then we have the child who won’t drift off to sleep despite our best efforts. It’s worth some prayer for the newborns and their parents to get the rest they need. I have prayed Psalm 4:8 over the bassinettes of all the babies in my family.

Psalm 4:8 NKJV

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Lord, please fill this house with your peace and let (baby’s name) go to sleep. I ask that you give his/her parents a chance to sleep, too. In your mercy, give peace and rest to this household.

Please give (baby’s name) parents wisdom to know how to help him/her to sleep and stay asleep. Lord, I ask that you calm this baby down and let him/her get the rest he/she needs. Thank you so much for this child – they are a blessing and I pray, in your mercy, you would cause him/her to relax and sleep now. Amen.

Parents.

They need our prayers for wisdom in how to nurture this new little life. A baby’s sense of security comes from their parents’ responsive attention, so we can pray for good bonding with mom and dad. In addition, I pray that they have a strong marriage so that the challenges of a newborn will cause them to grow together and not apart.

Obviously, not every child is born into a standard Mr. and Mrs. household, but you can pray without reservation for both parents to take responsibility and work as a team for the well-being of their child.

Siblings:

Lord, you have said in your Word, “how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity”.  I pray today that this would be the case for (new baby’s name) and their brothers and sisters. Please let the older ones accept this change in their own lives and be protective and kind to the new baby. Let there be love and devotion between all the children in this family. I ask, Lord, that no sense of insecurity creeps into the other children because of the baby. Please let this be a time of joyful expansion for their immediate family. Thank you for each child in this family. Fill them with your grace today. Thank you, Father. Amen.

Baby’s room:

If you are a fan of prayer walks or house blessings, then here is your opportunity to do just that. If you’ve never even heard of these things, it involves going into the baby’s room and praying for things like

• • Blessings of peace
  • Safety in their bed
  • Protection from evil
  • God’s spirit to be present
  • The baby to grow to be a follower of Jesus and fulfill their purpose here on earth

Here’s a great explanation on how to do a prayer walk.

Prayer for newborns – provision:

Another key way to pray for newborns is to ask God to provide all that they need. In this regard, I pray for an abundance of blessings. Blankets and onesies to be sure, but also the kindness of friends bringing meals and extra help with the housework.

Prayer for newborns – safety:

Lord Jesus, I lift up this baby to you and humbly ask that you would keep him/her safe today, tonight and all the days of their life. Lord even if we tried, we can’t watch this child every minute, but you can, and I pray that you will. Please protect them from injuries and illness. From accidents and emergencies. Please alert his/her parents to dangerous situations or unsuitable people they need to stay away from. Thank you, Lord, that you care for us here on earth including this new baby. Amen.

Avoiding strongholds.

2 Cor 10:4 NIV

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

I realize that “demolishing strongholds” seems like a lot to ask of a tiny infant who sleeps 18 hours a day. However we can pray that they will never be subject to generational strongholds. We can ask God to break the curse of whatever plagues our family and that any plans of the enemy to pass it on would be wildly unsuccessful.

Like I’ve said before, I believe the generation of children being born right now is a chosen generation. They are going to be agents for change and representatives of God’s kingdom in their cities. Our prayer for newborns can be that they break the strongholds that affect our families and our world!

Prayer for newborns to know the Lord:

3 John 1:4 ESV

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Deuteronomy 5:29 NKJV

Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

1. Lord, I pray that this baby will always be like a sheep who knows his/her shepherd’s voice and only runs after you. I pray that this child will learn about you from an early age. Please let them experience you first from the care and love of their parents. Then let him/her have lots of opportunities to learn about you, your word and your offer of salvation. I pray this child will come into your kingdom on earth early in life and stay there forever.  Amen.

2. God, I lift this baby up to you and pray they would never be far from you. Claim this child as your own all the days of their life. Let them be a shining light in your kingdom. I pray that you will protect (baby’s name) from any plans of the enemy and they will serve you faithfully when they are older. Thank you for giving us this child for our family. Amen.

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Prayer for newborns unique purpose.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Lord, please allow (baby’s name) to find his/her purpose early in life and have the opportunity to develop their skills so they can fulfill their potential. God grant that there will be no doubt and no aimless drifting in this child’s future but that each of my grandchildren  will grow up to be who you made them to be. Through your power I ask that they will fulfill 100% of the plans you have for them. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Final prayer for newborns.

Lord, thank you for putting this special infant in our family. Thank you that my own child gets to experience the joy of being a parent and that my child and his/her spouse can grow together in a new way as they parent together. Lord, there are so many lessons You teach us through new babies – about sacrifice and the tenacity of life and the wonders of your love. Thank you for loving this child more than of any of us here on earth. We are grateful for your protection and your wisdom in how to raise this baby. Thank you for his/her sweet, fuzzy head and the way he/she snuggles in for sleep. I am grateful to be able to nurture this child too. Amen.

Is there something specific that you pray your grandchildren that I have left off the list? Help me out and tell me about it in the comments below. Thanks.

You may also want to read:

22 Bible verses about grandchildren

How to join the Prayer Raising community.

* Some Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.