Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
I never understood how family relationships fell apart. My family is so tight-knit that I just couldn’t believe people would disown their own family members. I’ve witnessed friends and extended family members experience family troubles over the past several years and have realized that it is vital to pray for family restoration.
Although I don’t agree with the decision to be separated from certain family members, I understand now that there are so many layers. The bottom line in all of these broken family situations seems to be a lack of faith/relationship with God.
In a world of brokenness, we need God more than ever. God is love and helps us to love our family the way they deserve and need to be loved. Romans 12 lays out beautifully how love is to be put into action,
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:9-17, NIV).
We need the grace and strength that comes from God to love authentically like this. When we stray from Him we allow sin to creep in. We let the noise of this world get in the way and forget that we are supposed to love our family fiercely and unconditionally. Relationships fall apart and desperately need to be restored.
I have given you prayers for family restoration, but feel free to customize them to your specific situation. Please leave prayer requests in the comments so we can pray with you!
Short Prayer For Family Restoration
Lord, there are so many broken families in the world. The repercussions of a severed family can be detrimental to many different parties. Please restore these families to the full unity you desire for them. Help them to forgive each other and work through their issues in a healthy way. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer To Reunite Broken Families
Please reunite all broken families. There’s so much pain and heartbreak when families are broken. It affects so many different people in a variety of ways. For some it’s extremely hard to overcome those challenges and can lead to addiction.
There are so many different layers and problems that arise especially for the children in the family in the midst of brokenness. It can cause so much stress among their peers and their parents. Lord, please watch over all children in broken families.
Please protect them and help them to know that they are a child of God. They are loved by you. Help them to know that their parents do love them even in the midst of all the brokenness of their family.
Lord, we live in a broken world and that’s why our families can fall into this division and destruction. Help not only these families, but our entire world to heal and overcome our sinful nature. In Your name, I pray, amen.
Prayer To Restore A Family
Lord, please restore all broken families. Some families are working on reuniting and they need that extra help from You to restore themselves back to where they used to be. Please help them to build back up their trust, love, and commitment to each other.
Most importantly, help them to restore their relationship with You. When families have that relationship with you, Lord, they’re going to be able to work through their conflicts with one another more effectively.
Please help all married couples to stay grounded in faith together and to use faith and strength from You to restore their family to the way that You desire them to be. In Your name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer To Heal Broken Families
Lord, please heal all broken families. Please heal them of all the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds that afflict them.
Sometimes physical abuse is part of a family and that is why they’re broken. That’s an extremely dangerous situation to be in and that comes with many complicated layers. Please help the abuser overcome their issues and know that they cannot treat their family that way so this family can be healed and reunited.
Please heal all families who are struggling with emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is an overlooked danger. It degrades people and ruins self-esteem, especially in children. Please protect these poor children. Heal the wounds that are being inflicted upon them. Help them to know Lord that they are a child of God.
Please comfort all families struggling to heal spiritually. Lord, please be there rock. The church isn’t perfect. There’s sin everywhere. Sometimes families are inflicted with spiritual wounds. Please heal them.
Help them to overcome these wounds so that each family can know that they are better and stronger with You at their core. Help each family to know that they “can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, NIV).
Lord, we see over and over again how you heal in the scriptures. You are the ultimate healer. You heal our sins and our physical ailments. Please give all these families hope that they can be healed. In Your name, I pray Amen.
Prayer To Restore A Mother/Daughter Relationship
Lord, please restore all mother/daughter relationships. I’m so very grateful to have an amazing relationship with my mom and I desperately want that for everyone else. In my own extended families, I’ve seen mother/daughter relationships that are broken.
It breaks my heart to know that they don’t get to experience that love for each other anymore. I know there are many layers, complications, and reasons for why this is, but please, help them to fix the issues that need to be fixed so that way they can be restored as a family.
Oftentimes addiction is involved in a strained mother/daughter relationship. If there’s addiction involved, please help that family member to overcome their addiction. Give them the grace and the strength to seek the help they need so they can mend their familial relationships.
Lord, the Scriptures say, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12, NIV).
When a mother isn’t treating their child the way they deserve and need to be treated it’s hard to obey this commandment. Please help all children who are struggling to honor their mothers. Give them the grace and the strength to see their mother as they see You.
May all mothers and daughters be reminded of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Mary will wrap them in your mantel and bring their fears and struggles to God. Help all mothers to look to her as an example of what it means to mother their children through joys and tribulations.
Mary watched her Son be brutally beaten and nailed to a cross. She witnessed Him die unjustly, but she has always been faithful and trusted in Your plan. Help all of the mothers and daughters who have a broken relationship to look to her and to see that unwavering trust in You.
If all else fails, remind them of this simple prayer from St. Teresa of Calcutta, “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.”
In Your name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer To Restore A Father/Son Relationship
Lord, please restore all father/son relationships. I know there are many complicated reasons for why this occurs but please, help them to fix the issues at hand so that way they can be restored as a family.
Lord, the Scriptures say, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12, NIV).
When a father isn’t treating their child the way they deserve and need to be treated it’s hard to obey this commandment. Please help all children who are struggling to honor their father. Give them the grace and the strength to see their father as they see You.
May all fathers and sons be reminded of Joseph, Father of Jesus. He is a pillar of strength, integrity, and honesty. He is a beautiful example of fatherhood in times of joy and tribulation. If a son is lacking a relationship with their father, remind them that they have Joseph, and You, as their Fathers.
Concluding Thoughts
In the midst of a broken world, there are broken families in desperate need of healing. When we lose focus on the Lord it is harder for us to love the way he wants us to which can cause cracks in our relationships.
Always remember that even if your family is broken, you always have a good good Father to turn to. The Lord welcomes you with open arms and longs to hear your struggles and desires. Run to Him. Your family won’t be restored overnight, but He will restore your soul immediately.