The love chapter in the Bible isn’t just beautiful, it’s powerful. Praying love over your family using 1 Corinthians 13 is a wonderful way to bless them! Here’s how to do it.

1 Corinthians 13 is well known. It’s read at weddings, it’s hung on walls and quoted frequently. It is one of those scripture passages that remind us of who God is and what He offers! But what if it was more than that, what if praying love was something you could do for those you love?

Praying Love Over Your Family

Let’s start by reading the passage (you can’t pray it if you don’t know it!)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Now let’s break it down into each section. For the full prayers, grab the download HERE.

Love is Patient

Sometimes I think 1 Corinthians 13 was written for moms. Our love is patient, just as our Heavenly Father’s love is patient.

When your toddler insists on putting their shoes on, you lovingly wait patiently. When your six-year-old is inspired by something and has 20 000 questions, you lovingly answer with patience. And while everyone else has to lovingly wait patiently for these extra minutes, praying love will help them too.

Pray that everyone would be able to show love through patience. As they wait for their family members, let them do it without grumbling and asking them to hurry. Help them enjoy these times together, even if they feel unnecessary!

Love is Kind

Kindness can be hard, especially for kids. They see a toy and they want it, even if someone is actively playing with it, so they grab it!

Teasing can feel fun, but there is a fine line that often gets crossed and suddenly that “fun loving teasing” isn’t kind anymore.

Praying love over your family is to pray that they would treat each other with kindness. Even when they are tired or annoyed with one another.

God’s kindness is exemplified throughout the Bible. He offered kindness, even when He didn’t have to because He loved us.

It Does Not Envy

“I want that...” is a common phrase in my home. My children see magazines or ads for toys and suddenly forget the overflowing bins they do have.

Or if I offer to read a story to one of my children, inevitably the other one MUST choose a book too and join us, jealous that mom is sitting with his brother.

And yet I find myself doing the same thing, or hear my husband talk about how he would like a bigger house with a garage. It’s that little green, jealous feeling that makes us want more.

Love tells us to stop, to be grateful for what we have, because love doesn’t envy. It doesn’t see that someone else is being loved and demand love of its own. Love wants to share, it wants to see that we are content with what we have and that we can find joy in other’s enjoyment.

It Does Not Boast, It Is Not Proud

Pride comes before a fall. We’ve all heard that. It’s a hard lesson, one that we start teaching at home.

We encourage our children to apologize, to admit when they were wrong and to be humble when they are right. No one likes a “know it all.” And while we want to praise our children for their accomplishments, we also want them to understand what it means to serve others and help build them up too.

When praying love, pray that your children would seek humility before pride. Pray for appropriate words so you can praise your children and then help them praise others too.

It Does Not Dishonour Others

Mocking, name calling, disrespectful behaviour…when I hear these things in schools or at the store, it hurts my mama heart. I know if those kids are saying those things in public, they likely are saying them at home. And love calls us to honour others, regardless of who they are.

Pray that your children would treat each other with respect. To guard their tongues, keep their hearts pure and find ways that build people up.

It Is Not Self-Seeking

It’s human nature to want things for ourselves. Selfishness runs rampant in our society too, as people buy what they want, when they want without thinking of others.

It circles back to sharing, to ensuring that others have a turn or an opportunity to have something. This doesn’t mean we give up everything just because someone else wants it, but it means we aren’t looking inward all the time at what we want.

Pray that your family would see the needs of others. Help them to share, even when they don’t want to.

It Is Not Easily Angered

Do you have a red-head in your family with that characteristic fiery temper? I have a red-head but his brother has more of a temper than he does!

Some of us are quicker to get frustrated than others (my hand is raising over here!) but love reminds us that it is not angry. Love resolves situations, anger escalates them. When we help our children find love in those hard moments, it makes things easier.

Pray that your children would turn to love instead of anger. Help them understand that anger is a normal emotion but our response should come from love.

It Keeps No Record of Wrongs

My husband jokes with me that he can tell what I’ve been doing in the kitchen as soon as he walks in. Cupboard doors are open, random spoons or wrappers are left on counters…in other words I leave a trail.

Then I joke with him that I’m too distracted by the unclean “clean” dishes sitting in the drying rack to finish what I am doing!

We jest with one another, but in a way we are keeping record of wrongs and love tells us not to do that.

Love tells us not to hold grudges or bring up past mistakes. Children can be quick to remind us of times we made a mistake, burnt the toast or put their clothes on backwards. And again, when done in fun, you can laugh about it. But we should pray that our children do not take these mistakes too seriously.

Praying love means praying that forgiveness would reign in your home. When mistakes are made, grace is given and everyone moves forward in love. Pray that children do not make a list of wrongs and let go of what is not theirs to carry.

Love Does Not Delight in Evil but Rejoices With the Truth

I often remind my kids to “own it” when they make a mistakes. Tell the truth, be honest, don’t hide in the lie because love does not delight in evil!

Encourage honesty in your home, to speak words of truth, whether about a situation or a person. Don’t gossip or spread lies. Tell your children to turn to the Bible when they are unsure of something and test it against God’s word.

Pray that your children would value honesty and integrity. Let their hearts and minds be set on the ways of God so they can make good choices and celebrate one another for doing so!

It Always Protects

My three-year-old has a strong sense of protection for his loved ones, especially his older brother. We always joke that he is the bodyguard because he looks the part too!

And this is what love calls us to do, protect those we love. To watch out for them, stand up for them and help them when they get hurt.

Pray that your children would look for ways to protect one another, whether at home or when out and about.

It Always Trusts

Trust is something that can be easily broken. And yet it says that love always trust because God is trustworthy. We know we can believe His promises and so when we act out of love and choose to be trustworthy, we are following God’s example.

Pray that your children would be trustworthy and trusting of one another. Pray that they would seek the righteous path so others would follow their example too.

It Always Hopes

Our hope should always be in the Lord. That is where we put our trust and faith and hope. So when praying love over your family, pray that God’s hope would fill them to overflowing. Pray that they would see God’s goodness in one another and trust His plans.

This also means putting our hope in God during the difficult seasons. The times when our children challenge us or each other, we can trust that God will make a way even when things feel frustrating.

It Always Perseveres

I always tell my kids, “God gave us family for a reason. You need our family and our family needs you.”

When praying love over your family, sometimes it means praying to persevere through the hard times. The seasons when life is a struggle, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional struggles.

This is especially applicable for you and your spouse. Love endures through all the days, the tough ones and the joyful ones.

Pray that love would give you endurance to persevere through every situation!

Love Never Fails

The final statement in this passage is the promise that God gives. We hear about all the things love does for us, but the final piece is the promise for these things, it seals it altogether.

Love never fails.

And who is this love? God. He will never fail or abandon us. We can pray confidently because we know when we are praying love over our family, we are praying the promise of God.

Pray that promise over your family. That when the days are hard and if feels like your love cups are empty, pray that God would fill in those gaps and cover everyone with His promise of love.

Love Them Through It

Ready to pray this over your family? I’ve set it up as a 14 day challenge, so you can pray your way through this passage everyday for 14 days. Stretch out 1 Corinthians 13 over your family, covering them in prayer and love.

Get the download, take the challenge and watch as love becomes the foundation of your home. Get it HERE.