The Bible calls us to honour our parents—and one way we can do that is by praying for them. Little children often see their mothers and fathers as the ones with all the answers. It’s not until we grow up that we realise our parents are just like us—regular people in need of prayer.

This guide will help you to pray rich, intentional prayers for your mother or father—be they biological or adoptive, working or retired, frail or fit, married or separated, believers or unbelievers. Whatever their situation, if we want to love them well, we need to pray.

Each of the 21 prayer themes in this book takes a passage of Scripture and suggests five things to pray for a particular area of your parents' lives. You can use this book in any number of ways: work through it as part of your daily quiet time or pick it up whenever a particular need arises.

The command to honour our parents comes with a beautiful promise—“that it may go well with you” (Ephesians 6 v 3). The hope of this guide is that you will reap this blessing as you come before God with prayers that change things for an older generation.

Chelsea Stanley serves with the women’s ministry team at Crossway Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin . She has written for Desiring God, Risen Motherhood, and The Gospel Coalition.