There is a great need for prayers to God for children who live in a home where alcohol is abused or where alcoholism is present.   Alcohol affects children because of the alcohol induced adult behaviors of physical, mental or verbal abuse, neglect, and failure to parent consistently and well.  Statistics show that 1 in every 4 children are in a home where alcoholism is a problem.  Here is a prayer for you that can be used in your personal prayers or in group prayer.

Prayer for Children of Alcoholics

Dear Heavenly Father, We pray today for the children worldwide who live in a home where alcohol is abused or where there is alcoholism.

Send your supernatural guardian angels and your human angels in the form of caring adults to surround these children with protecting, nurturing care.  Please place an awareness of each of these children upon the heart of a family member, neighbor, teacher, youth leader, medical caregiver, social worker, minister, coach or friend.

Once those You are calling to notice these children, equip them with the wisdom to reach out in ways that will help.  Enable them to share with these children that the adult in their life with alcoholism has a disease and that when they drink, their brains change and their behavior changes.  Reassure these children that this alcoholic behavior has nothing to do with the child’s behavior or what the child has done or hasn’t done.  Free these children from the burden of trying to be the caregiver of the alcoholic adult in their life.  Free them from trying to change or prevent the alcoholic behavior by being good or by excelling in school, sports or taking care good of their brothers and sisters.

We pray your healing power upon these children.  Be with them in their times of fear.  Help them find a hiding place and a refuge where they can be safe.  Give them the courage to tell someone who cares when they suffer verbal or physical abuse.  Protect them from grief, guilt, loss of hope and trust, shame, low self esteem, emotional shut down, the inability to control their impulses and depression.

Most of all, Father, help these children know that they are not alone.  Reassure them that many children all around them have this experience.  Send one of your caring followers to love and encourage these children until they can feel in their hearts how much You love them, until they know from experience that You will never leave them or forsake them, and that You hear them when they pray.  May they picture themselves in the loving arms of Jesus where he took children in his arms and blessed them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  (Matthew 19:14. NIV)  And help those of us who are praying for these children answer the call to serve Christ when he said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  (Matthew 25:40)

We pray this in the name of Jesus who loves all the children of the world, Amen.

Copyright Karen Barber 2013.  All rights reserved.