The Power of Praying® for Your Adult Children Prayer and Study Guide

by Stormie Omartian

For mothers and fathers who are reading Stormie Omartian’s The Power of Praying® for Your Adult Children , this prayer and study guide presents insightful, interactive questions that further explore God’s Word and His promises. This more in–depth journey offers special prayers and encouragement to lead parents to lift up their adult children and areas of their lives including Moms, dads, couples, and parenting groups can find comfort, answers, and incredible blessing as they continue to cover their kids in prayer...even if their kids have children of their own.

Genres: Christian, Prayer, Nonfiction, Parenting, Faith, Religion, Christian Non Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Stormie Omartian is an award-winning bestselling author and speaker who personally connects with readers and listeners by sharing her experiences and illustrating how God transforms lives when we learn to trust in Him.

The strength and transparency of Stormie’s message has driven her books to the top of the bestsellers list. More than 26 million copies have been sold worldwide of her "Power of Praying Series," including "The Power Of Praying For Your Adult Children," "The Power Of A Praying Wife," "The Power Of A Praying Husband," "The Power Of A Praying Woman," "The Power Of A Praying Parent," "The Power Of A Praying Teen," and "The Prayer That Changes Everything."

Her latest books are her recently updated and re-released bestsellers: "Power of a Prayer Wife," "Power of a Praying Woman," "Power of a Praying Parent," "Power of Praying for Your Adult Children," and "Power of a Praying Husband."

In May 2002, "The Power Of A Praying Wife" broke a 21-year industry record by claiming the top spot on the Christian Booksellers bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months. From 2001 to 2003, for an unprecedented three years in a row, it was named a finalist for The Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year Award. It has been on the bestsellers list continually for over ten years. It was replaced as number one by "The Power Of A Praying Husband," which was honored in 2002 with a Gold Medallion Award. "The Power Of A Praying Parent" has been on the bestsellers list for years. In September of 2002, her prayer series astonishingly held the top four spots on the bestsellers list:

1. "Praying Wife"
2. "Praying Woman"
3. "Praying Parent"
4. "Praying Husband"

Among other of Stormie’s bestselling books are her autobiography, "Stormie," plus "Just Enough Light For The Step I’m On," "Lord I Want To Be Whole," and "Praying God's Will For Your Life." Michael and Stormie have been married for 40 years and have two married children.

If you have any questions for Stormie, please send them her way on her Facebook page, the link is below.
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https://www.facebook.com/stormieomart...
https://twitter.com/StormieOmartian

Reviews

[Cindy Baker stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this powerful book as the Lord used it to change my life and take away the debilitating worry I experienced over my two adult sons. One night I was reading the Bible in bed and the worry started to creep in again as it seemed to do every night. I started to pray as the the Bible lay on my chest for God to give me something from His word that would help me. I picked it up and the first verse I saw was; Isaiah 54:13 "All your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children's peace." That verse gave me comfort and I went to sleep. The next day, I had a luncheon date with a dear friend that I hadn't seen in a while. I had told her nothing of my debilitating worry. When I arrived at her house, she had a gift for me on my place mat. I took the book out of the gift bag and it was "The Power of Praying for your Adult Children"! I thanked her profusely and told her of my struggles and we rejoiced together. But that is not the end of the story! I promised that I would start reading it that day. Later that evening, I sat down to begin reading and I opened it to a page at the very beginning. There was but one verse on that page and I burst into tears and laughter at the same time. The verse was, Isaiah 54:13 - the very verse God had showed me the night before! I thanked the Lord for His goodness and praised Him for His perfect timing and love. From then on, I no longer struggled with worry over my children and have learned to put them into His care. The book was wonderful in teaching on the specifics of how to pray for our children. I have loaned it out countless times and even bought copies for friends and family.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very difficult to review a book that tells you to pray, since we are all supposed to pray, right? As I went through the book in a group study I was bothered, and it took a while until I finally got it: I feel she presents prayer as a formula. If you pray this, you get this. If you don't pray, or pray the wrong way, bad things will happen, if you do pray, good things will happen. She gives some examples(very few personal) as proof. I have been a Christian for a long time, and have learned that while we should pray, pray all the time, there is no formula to guarantee the answer we want. Matthew 5:45 basically says that God will do what God wants. Job 1:21 says that God gives, and he takes, but we are to praise him. It's not a business transaction. So if you like Stormie and the way she writes then feel free to read and follow the book, it certainly will not hurt.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out strong -- the introduction is very well done -- but finishes weakly. Reading the introduction (What Every Parent of an Adult Child Needs to Know) and the first 4-5 chapters would be sufficient. The remaining chapters tend to be repetitive in nature, and could be read 'as needed.'

The introduction has an excellent section on forgiveness. Throughout the book, O'Martin references scriptures that are relevant to her chosen topic; each chapter ends with scripture verses and a prayer.

O'Martin believes in asking boldly of the Lord -- that which seems impossible, because, all things are possible through Him. She has a strong faith, and she encourages the reader to pray consistently, daily and with hope.

I have a few criticisms of O'Martin's book. One is that she over-simplifies concerns parents have with their children. She hints at the idea that practical work has to be done to turn situations and people around. But, prayer is the focus of this book, and prayer is where O'Martin always begins and ends. I believe that prayer changes things and that I should pray more and worry/control less. But I also believe I have to do more than utter a prayer and then sit back and wait. O'Martin "gets" this concept, but it does not come across strongly in her book.

Secondly, O'Martin seems to have her view of "success," and I often felt like she was telling God what she wanted through her prayers. I don't know if many others had that same sense? I think this is reflective of her human, controlling nature (which we all have), but also of her boldness in asking God for the very best for her children. Is this something to criticize or something to emulate? That is a personal decision the reader will have to make.

Finally, as with every Christian-like book, the reader is encouraged to read scripture along with the book. To decide (prayerfully) if the scripture supports the author's point of view, or if it is being manipulated (even a little bit) toward that end. O'Martin references scriptures that are new to me (I really appreciate that), but I also thought a few were stretched when needed to meet her argument.

In conclusion, this is a book that I would recommend to parents of adult children. O'Martin believes God wants the very best for His for children and that our prayers are key in making that happen. Christian parents can be encouraged by that mindset, and by O'Martin's book.

[Lorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is like all of her other books but with a different title and verses. She chose not to tell her stories/hardships about her kids which I felt like missed a lot of the connection with the reader. Not that I/the reader wants to hear all good/bad things they've done or going thru but I thought if she would share an incident then you could relate better. With that being said, I read this book slowly, read the word and prayed several days concerning my own children (I've got 5 kids). It did bring my attention to areas in my kids life's that I've not been praying about.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one that should be in all Christian homes of parents with adult children especially. The author gives many good suggestions and helps people that don't know how to pray or what to pray for or think they have prayed and said it all. If you have children that are giving you grief (drug addicts, homeless, alcoholics, etc.), this author will give you many ideas how to pray for them.

If you are a parent of children any age, this book is a must!

[Cheryl Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been very special to me because I have two adult sons and one more that will be in a few short years that are making huge life decisions. No one ever told me how much I would be on my knees for my children as they got older. I ended up reading this slow so that I could really pray my way through this for all three of my sons. I love her writing, stories, and choice of scriptures. I love her prayers too. She has thought of things I hadn’t, and I appreciate her thoroughness. I will probably find myself reading this book or portions of it until Jesus comes again.

[Emily Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the audio book so much that I just ordered the hard copy.
What I love the most is all the scripture reference with every tip, and every advice.

I highly recommend it for parents with adult children. It enlightened me with things I need to do as a parent & for things I need to stop doing that can help us children be who are meant to be.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to reread this book some time in the future, which is an automatic 5-star review, and I've bought copies for others, which is the highest compliment I can give a book.

This book was recommended to me and given to me by a former mentor-mom of mine, a preacher's wife, as they were retiring and moving out of town. But I have very much appreciated this parting gift from that kind soul. Her focus in the book was the small section on fasting, which she has practiced heartily. I discovered that I cannot fast for a variety of reasons, both health-related, and my own lack of self-control. It's something I hope to grow into - have concrete plans for that - but for now, I will just have to ask for God's grace on that one. Rest in God's grace.

My other comment from my mentor-mom recently had to do with an unrelated answered prayer. I had said online, tongue-in-cheek, that it was a "coincidence," meaning "God-incidence" in a sort of understated way. But she said that I should give God full glory clearly, "Coincidences? I think rather answers to earnest prayers offered in confidence to our Lord. I’m glad ..." I will remember that and stop doing understated thanks where God is concerned, but more fully give Him the glory.

The prologue, "What Every Parent of An Adult Child Needs to Know" was beautifully encouraging, and that alone was worth me giving it to these other women. The rest of the book is a bonus.

"God is a Redeemer. That is His specialty." "Remember that discouragement doesn't mean failure. Discouragement is a sign that you need to spend more time with your heavenly Father so He can encourage you." "Even the bad things that happen will work out in their lives for good." "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children." - Isaiah 54:13. May it be so.

"We must get on our knees and cry out for it from the depths of our being." It's interesting. I just answered a question from my Bible study on the same topic. The question was "What helps you humble yourself in worship before God?" and my answer was, "The physical act of kneeling." It reminds me Who God is, who I am, and that I am completely His.

I appreciated the part that had "God won't listen to our prayers when we live in rebellion" with the subsequent verses. So many people won't even touch that topic, but it's essential. "Unrepented sin invites evil into our lives, keeping us from all God has for us."

I love the many detailed topics and suggestions for prayer. Sometimes I took them slowly, praying one verse a day at a time, for a slower read than what was probably intended. In that way, I felt I was wrestling through this book - slowly, patiently, and sometimes it felt dry. Sometimes it felt powerful.

“Remembering that God is merciful and compassionate helps you to keep praying, knowing that He will soon show His mercy and compassion to you and your adult children.” I love the idea of rooting our prayers and our hope in the character of God. What an encouragement!

I did have a few nitpicks. "Without our prayers appropriating God's power, our lives are left up to chance with sometimes disastrous results." God is powerful. Our prayers don't appropriate His power. He is still Sovereign, but He works mightily on our behalf when we understand and when we don't. I'm not sure how deeply she holds her position on that, though, because she'd just said in the prior paragraph, "Prayer is not telling God what to do. Prayer is participating with God to see that His will is done."

The part about God restoring the years that the locusts have eaten should've also mentioned that sometimes happens in this life, and sometimes in the life to come.

"God's promises don't automatically happen without us doing our part." What? God's promises are God's promises. He fulfills them without any help from us (although it's a good deal better for us when we're on His side.)

"So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." - Zech 4:6, NIV. Not by any worldly might or power, but by God Himself, He will accomplish things.

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." - 1 Cor 1:25, NIV. He does not need our wisdom or our strength to accomplish things.

I'm afraid I strongly disagreed with the statement, ""The Bible is too often restricted by some people saying, 'This part was only for the disciples, that part was only for the Corinthians, this part is only for the Israelites,' and on and on until the entire bible is explained away and it becomes merely a history book book, and an oftentimes difficult one to understand..." I do think that context is important and that sometimes promises were given to specific people for specific times. We are not all going to bear sons and call them Isaac.

There are general principles we can take away, and there is the constancy in the character of God, but we must be careful with what was promised to whom, when, and for what purpose. I think a lot of disillusionment with Christianity comes from taking the promises to other people and making them into things that God's never promised us, and then being disillusioned when He doesn't fulfill them.

My approach to seeing something in the Bible that I want, that is promised to another, is simply to ask for it as well. God can say yes or no, and often the answer is 'yes,' but sometimes He does have something else for me.

There were three complaints that I saw from other reviewers.

One is that it's a little repetitive. I didn't mind praying for similar things in different ways on different days.

Another was that the medical statements involving multiple sclerosis were not accurate. I don't know anything about that, but what the reviewer said sounded reasonable. I don't even remember that being in the book, so it wasn't a big part, but maybe the author should stick to writing about faith and not medicine.

A third complaint was that the author didn't tell enough stories to make it interesting. That didn't bother me either. It depends on what you're looking for in a book. I wasn't looking for entertainment. If she'd added more interesting stories for each point, it would've been so long that I would've really struggled to get through it. Probably part of me struggling is because I didn't read this exclusively as my primary devotional/study, but along with another, and so I didn't put the same amount of time into it that daily stories would've entailed. That's also partly why I went prayerfully at the pace of about a verse a day through this, a snail's pace. Maybe Tony Souder's "Pray for Me" got me into that routine and habit, and that's about the pace I continued with in this book on prayer. But I could imagine people gulping it down whole.

Favorite quotes (the ones not already listed above):
"Where the answer seems to be a long time in coming, help me to not lose heart. Keep me strong in prayer until Your purpose is fulfilled."

"As you pray about this, you will gain the confidence of knowing that you adult child is in God's hands."

"You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because He trusts in You." - Isaiah 26:3

“All relationships are vulnerable to destruction without God holding them together against enemy attacks... The enemy's desire is to bring confusion to relationships and cause misinterpretation of words, actions, or intentions. He blinds people to the truth and feeds them lies. He knows how to separate people from God and from each other."

"He will respond to your prayers for reconciliation. Nothing is beyond the reach of God's grace, the promises of God's Word, or the reach of the Savior's hand extended toward you and your adult children."

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stormie repeated herself unnecessarily throughout the book.

Also, her words indicate that she believes if one walks in obedience, one will avoid suffering and sickness.

All you have to do is read Job to know this isn’t true. God has promised to “work all things together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose,” and this includes suffering. Nowhere does Scripture indicate that if someone fervently prays all the right prayers and walks obediently that they will avoid suffering and hardship. We are only promised that God will work whatever we face for good.

However, the book gives a template around which to structure prayers for our children. I won’t pray the exact prayers, but the categories and scriptures are valuable.

[Stephanie A-M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went in search of something to reassure and comfort me during a difficult time. After reading my Bible I came across this book and I was soothed by the practical advice and honest assessment of what it feels like to be the parent of an adult child. I appreciated being given very specific areas to pray on for my son and I was truly blessed by the spirit of the text. A comforting read for any parent who just wants and needs some direction when supporting adult children.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very valuable as a resource of wonderful ways to pray for your adult children and as an encouragement that those prayers are important and effective. It is divided into well-organized chapters that can be referred to again and again. This one will stay close within my reach

[Sue-b-doo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resulted in starting a "moms of adult children" weekly prayer meeting...praying for a long list of our own children plus others in our congregation! So exciting to see how God works when we do battle together at the throne of God!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

truth and more truth. full of scripture & well-organized practical advice. nothing new & not the best writing style, but important things to remember & use daily alll in one place.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this to all parents of adult children/or children about to become adults.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm getting used to being the parent of an adult child, and I found Stormie Omartian's prayer book really helpful as a guide to some of the ups and downs that might happen along the way from this point on. As in her other books, Omartian is very encouraging and compassionate, which I appreciate. For a certain type of personality, her prayers are excellent guides for our own daily prayers (and I know that for other personalities, this kind of book probably wouldn't be as helpful, and that's fine).

I thought the chapters and prayers in this book were better even than Omartian's Power of Praying Parent, which I've used a lot in praying for all my kids. Where that book is a lot of chapters that are short, followed by short prayers, some of which kind of blend together with one another after a while, this book feels deeper and more mature. The prayers are longer, and there are fewer of them. I found a lot of the content personally challenging, thinking about applying the prayers to myself; and I love the way these prayers guide me in praying for my oldest child. I almost wish I'd found this book sooner and started praying through it even during the teenage years. It's really good.

[Ms. Martian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book to any Christian parent of adult children. My oldest are just barely adults -- in college -- but I can see how this book will be helpful for me throughout their lives and in the lives of my other children as they grow up.
Each chapter gives a different topic for prayer -- how and what we should pray for our children. It is also full of Scripture and the author explains how those verses apply to our lives and the lives of our children.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some bones to pick out, but I love how the author packs in scripture, gives many specific things to pray for that, embarrassingly, I have neglected to pray for. At the end of each chapter she gives and example pray to pray for what was covered in the chapter and I found that very helpful.

[Sue Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved listen to this one . Filled with scripture and wonderful prayers for my children!

[Janine Ott Ott]

The prayers are wonderful and helpful.

[Kari Kaczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This devotional is so good!!! It's one I will read many times over because our children need us to pray over them daily! This book covers every area!

[Monique Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 📚 was stunning . So revelant for the evil times we live in . How to precisely cover your adult children in prayer and to pray for everything from their future work to their future spouse and protection . It should be a handbook for every Christian parent with an adult child or children . Was so enjoyable . Filled with the anointing and the power of God .

[Aaron Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have finished the first reading of this book but this book will remain close by for the rest of my life! What a great book of encouragement and reminders of living a life of prayer. This book is challenging and graceful.

[Cheryl Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book when I moved 800 miles away from my adult sons in order to caregive for my mom who had Alzheimer's. I recognized that the one thing I could, and needed to, do was to pray for my sons. During my middle of the night hot flashes, I prayed for my sons and continue to do so.

The book is incredibly helpful with clear scriptural, faith lessons, as well as prayers I could say when my own prayers were weak.

I have recommended this book to many, and I will continue to read and reread this powerful "manual" on how to recognize the importance of being a prayer warrior for our adult children. So many prayers have been answered, even as they both faced difficult situations.

Thanks, Stormie.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ended up skimming through the last few chapters. While there were some good suggestions for prayer, this book was very disappointing overall. The shaky theology struck me more fully this time (for example, what happened to Joseph wasn't God's will, suggesting prayer for "revelation," implying that God is required to honor certain prayer, etc.) The use of "he (she)" throughout the book was annoying as well as distracting. It may seem silly, but where she really lost me was when she was relating the story of an incident regarding her son's health. One of the possibilities was multiple sclerosis, and she indicated that she believed that if he had it, it would have been caused by poor diet. This one was not a good read.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words can't adequately describe how wonderful this book is. Stormie has put into words, paired with scripture, and her own life examples, every prayer I've needed to pray for my children. As I would pray the prayers aloud for my daughters, I would weep because I could feel the Holy Spirit moving. It's a must read for all parents of adult children, of any age. I wish I had a parent alive to pray these over me right now.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Prayer is not telling God what to do. Prayer is partnering with God to see that His will is done. The confidence we have in approaching God is that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, then we know that we will have what we asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)

Omartian encouraged me to be faithful and specific in my prayers for my grown children. A very helpful book.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So helpful in guiding my prayers for my sons. When my own prayers ended up feeling like a laundry list of worries instead of prayer that keeps my focus and trust in God, this book helped me reorient my prayers. I will still return to this book, a chapter a day, to remind me of the power god has given me to intercede for my sons, and to be able to pray with more faith and hope, and less fear.
I especially appreciate the scriptures in each section, and the written prayers.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do believe prayer is a powerful thing, but I also think things happen to people. Like sickness and death to children and young parents. I don’t think it is a lack of prayer that allows this to happen.
I also don’t feel we should force feed faith to anyone but try to be examples and pray for them.
I felt the author thinks all we should be doing is talking about God with our adult children. I feel we show them the way and pray for them to be receptive to the Spirit.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We as Mothers will always pray and love our children no matter what! because she love them more then anyone can really know. So I bought this book to help me always remember to pray for my adult children, so they can be blessed and walk in god's way. and know God. and I know that God hears our prayers! so I will never stop praying for my adult children!

[Anne-Marie Madore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. Stormie Omartian writes about various areas of concern parents may have for their adult children. At the end of each chapter is a prayer parents can pray over their adult children. Sometimes all a parent can do is pray and this book will give them specific prayers to focus on.