These prayers are written for foster parents who open their homes to children who have been through loss, upheaval and uncertainty. You can pray them in the early morning before the house wakes up, in the car between appointments, or late at night after the last light is off. Read them aloud exactly as written, or use them as a starting point and speak in your own words wherever your heart needs to say more.
Prayers for Foster Parents
Lord, you know every child who has walked through our door and every one who is still on the way. You know the names we have been given and the ones we have not yet learned. Tonight we bring you the weight of that trust. Give us patience when a child pushes away the very love we are offering, and give us gentleness when old fears come out as anger or silence. Help us remember that behavior is often a message, and help us read it with wisdom rather than fear.
We also bring you the paperwork, the court dates, the caseworker calls and the visits that tear at everyone involved. Steady our minds when the system feels slow or confusing. Guide our conversations with birth families, with social workers and with schools so that we speak with honesty and grace. Where we are tired, renew us. Where we are afraid of getting attached, or afraid of letting go, give us courage to love anyway and to trust that you hold every child more tightly than we ever could. Keep our marriage strong, our other children secure, and our own hearts open. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Father, I am worn out and this child needs me to stay calm. Give me a steady heart in this moment and a soft voice in place of a sharp one. Show me what this child needs right now, whether that is quiet, a hand on the shoulder, or simply a place to be safe. Remind me that I am not the only one carrying them. Hold this child, hold me, and hold every family in our care. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Psalm 68:5-6
5 A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 6 God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
(WEB)
Pray this for the children in your home who have no stable family history. Ask God to be the father to the fatherless in their daily life, and ask him to set you and your household in places where belonging can take root.
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
(WEB)
Read this slowly and let it reshape how you see the children placed with you. Thank God that each child is a gift entrusted to your care, even when the arrangement is temporary.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
(WEB)
Bring this promise to the nights when fear feels loudest. Pray that you and the children would know God’s strength holding you up when your own strength has run out.
Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”
(WEB)
Use this verse to pray for the children’s openness to God and to people. Ask Jesus to draw each child close and to make your home a place where they feel welcomed rather than tolerated.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
(WEB)
Pray this when progress seems invisible and discouragement sets in. Ask God to give you perseverance for the long road, trusting that faithful, ordinary care bears fruit in ways you may not see for years.
How to Pray This Prayer
Choose a regular time that fits your household, such as the quiet minutes after breakfast, the drive home from school pickup, or the moment after the children are tucked in. Keep a small notebook by the kitchen sink or in the glove compartment and write the name of each child beside the part of the prayer that fits their current season. Some foster parents find it helpful to fold a hand over the notebook or hold a warm mug while they pray, giving the body something steady to do while the mind slows down.
Invite a trusted friend, pastor or small group to pray this with you, especially on hard days. Ask them to pray for specific children, caseworkers and court outcomes, and to check in with you afterward. Many foster families find that sharing these prayers with a spouse, grandparent or church family turns a solitary burden into a shared one, which is exactly what God intends for his people.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord go before you into every hard conversation and every long night. May he steady your hands for the small daily tasks and widen your heart for the children who need you most. May each child in your home feel the safety of a place that will not give up on them. And may you know, quietly and surely, that the one who holds your family is faithful to the end.
