How to Pray for Children and Families in Poverty

It can be overwhelming to stare at an issue as enormous as global poverty. Thankfully, nothing is too big for our God.

22 Dec, 2023

Sometimes, our prayers can feel small.

We see the desperation of families trapped in war-torn countries, and innocent children dying from hunger and preventable diseases and it can be easy to think, “What good will my prayers do?”

But the truth is: prayer makes a difference.

Prayer is an invitation to lay our thoughts and emotions at the foot of the cross. It’s a choice to release control and surrender our cares to the only One big enough to hold them. To place seemingly impossible situations into the hands of a mighty God.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to come to Him with our weary, burdened souls. We were never designed to carry the brokenness of our world on feeble, human shoulders. It is a load that’s simply too heavy.

Through prayer, we are instead invited to partner with Him. To seek His heart for the world and join Him in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. God’s Word tells us that we have a Father who hears us when we pray, and our prayers move His heart to listen and respond.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask for anything according to his will, he hears us.” —1 John 5:14 (NIV)

If you’re wondering how you can pray for children and families in poverty, here are some requests you can bring before the throne of grace.

Pray for children and families who are hungry

Unfortunately, the global food crisis is far from over, and millions of children and families are still devastated by hunger every day. Join us in praying that families living in poverty will receive opportunities to learn skills such as cooking and gardening, and that long-term, sustainable initiatives can be woven into the fabric of a community.

Pray for those who are sick and dying from treatable diseases

Suffering from poor health can be an exhausting road, but for someone trapped in poverty, common and treatable conditions can be life-ending. Pray that Compassion centre staff would continue to support communities lacking basic hygiene awareness through training, and that everyday needs like access to clean water would be met. Pray that God’s healing power would move in mighty ways for individuals across the world suffering from sickness and disease.

Pray for mums and their babies

Compassion’s local church partners provide physical, emotional and spiritual care for vulnerable mums and babies in their first year of life. This beautiful work is made possible through Mums and Babies projects facilitated by the local church and Compassion staff in over 28 countries.

In the last 12 months, your support has helped provide 1,422 babies and caregivers with life-saving education, food packages, and medical assistance to ensure these little ones are growing strong and healthy.

Pray for the Compassion centre staff who run Mums and Babies projects. Pray that babies and their caregivers would be given the chance to flourish and rise above the hardships they face, and that friendships would develop as these mums have a safe community to turn to for support.

Pray for Compassion's work with local churches

Since the beginning, Compassion Australia has worked in partnership with local churches. The Church has the incredible ability to be the hands and feet of Jesus to their community. It’s a place where people can invest and practically contribute to the needs of those around them.

Laurie and Olive McCowan (the founders of Compassion Australia), felt many years ago that God was using Compassion not only to reach children living in poverty, but to speak to the heart of the Australian Church.

Pray that Compassion’s partnership with both local and Australian churches would continue to grow and bear much fruit. Pray that hearts would be softened and there would be a greater sense of urgency to respond to the needs of others.

Thank God for all the people who support this work

Prayer and gratitude go hand in hand, and the work of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name wouldn’t be possible without the thousands of people who support Compassion: financially, prayerfully and practically.

Pray that the Lord would bless all who sow into this work, and that favour would be poured out on those who live a kingdom culture of generosity.

Thank you for joining with us to pray for the future of children and families around the world. To keep informed about other things to pray for, you can sign up to our monthly Prayer Partners email. If you’re already a Compassion supporter, you can update this preference in your My Account page.

Written by Sarah Moore, Compassion Australia