Birthday prayers for family and friends, 60 to send or say aloud

You can pray for someone before you have even put the kettle on. Most of these birthday prayers are short enough to send that early, on the morning of the birthday. A few are meant to be said aloud at the table before the cake is cut, and others belong inside a card in your own handwriting. Change the names and the small details until each one fits the person it is going to.

Short birthday prayers to send this morning

Send one early, before their phone fills up with everyone else's messages. Each can be read in a supermarket queue with a basket on one arm, and most need nothing changed but a name.

Lord, thank you for the morning she was born, and for every birthday breakfast since.
Father, go with him on the long drive to work and home again.
Jesus, be near my sister today. She won't ask, so I'm asking for her.
May the Lord sit with you over your first coffee on the porch.
God, she's at her desk today, birthday or not. If it isn't too much to ask, send her home early.
Keep him awake on tonight's shift, Lord, and let him sleep when he gets in.
The peace of God go with you out of the door today.
Bless her, Father, from the school run to the last plate in the rack.
May God give you slow Sunday mornings this year.
Lord, one more year of him. Thank you.

Any of these can also close the letter in a HeartCraft birthday card, once they've blown the candles out on their phone.

A birthday prayer for a friend

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." (Philippians 1:3) That line suits a friend of forty years as well as one you met at church last spring, so copy it above whichever prayer you choose.

Wherever he wakes up today, Father, be there first. He's six hours behind me now.
Lord, [name] still picks up when I ring at the wrong hour. Bless her for it.
May God keep you the way you kept me that winter, with soup on the step.
Jesus, you sat her next to me in a lecture hall twenty years ago. I have been grateful ever since.
God, we've been friends since we were eleven. Keep her near you, and near me too, if you don't mind.
Bless him with sleep this year, Lord. He hasn't had much since the baby came.
Thank you, Lord, for a friend who says she'll pray for me and then does, on her knees by the bed.
Father, give my friend one kind person at his new job.
Keep her, Lord. You know what she's carrying.

Prayers for a mother and a father

Your mother may have prayed for you more times than either of you could count, often without telling you. On her birthday, and on your father's, it's your turn to pray for them.

For a mother

God, every week my mother prays down the list of names on the church bulletin while her tea goes cold. Today I'm praying for her.
My mother's hands have kneaded bread for forty years, Lord. Let them rest.
She has worried about us since the day we were born, Lord. Give her an afternoon off.
Keep my mother's knees strong, Father.
Give my mother a holiday this year, Lord, and a son who calls more often.
Heavenly Father, my mother has fed half the street. Let someone else cook for her today.

For a father

Father God, Dad's wedding ring has worn thin, and he still won't take it off to wash the car. Bless them both.
Bless the man who still checks my tyres before every long trip, Lord.
May the Lord keep you among your tomatoes, Dad.
Thank you, Father, for my father. He's never been one for speeches, so I'll keep this short. Amen.
Lord, he retired in June and still gets up at six. Send him someone to have tea with.

Your husband or wife

Write this one by hand, if your handwriting allows. Add something nobody else would get, like the first street you lived on or the song you both murder in the car.

Jesus, we met at a wedding where neither of us knew a soul. Thank you for that wedding, and for her.
Father, my wife keeps the whole house in her head, down to the gas bill. Let me carry some of it this year.
Thank you, Lord, for the man who checks the locks twice, and a third time when he thinks I'm asleep.
God, eleven years married and I still leave the cupboard doors open. Bless her patience, and bless her.
Bring him home safe tonight, Lord. He drives too fast when he's tired.
Father, the children are loud and the flat is small. Keep us kind to each other in it.

A son or daughter, at any age

However old your children get, the morning of their birthday is a good time to pray over them by name, even if they're taller than you now. For a wish to send alongside the prayer, see these birthday wishes for a daughter.

Lord, a year ago she slept on my shoulder, and now she pulls herself up on the sofa. Keep holding her.
Seven candles this year, Father. Bless my son, loose tooth and all.
Jesus, my boy turns ten today. Keep him curious, and kind when kindness costs him something.
She's sixteen with exams in a fortnight, God. Settle her stomach on the morning of the first paper.
Late buses worry me, Lord. Remind my daughter to text when she's in.
Go with my son to his first job in the city, Lord.
Thank you, God, for thirty years of my son, who still rings home first with good news and last with bad.

Grandparents and older friends

Hold their hand while you pray, if they'll let you. Someone who has said grace at the same table for sixty years will notice every word you choose. Go slowly, and speak up a little more than feels natural.

Ninety years, Father. Thank you for every one.
Grandma still sings the hymn she learned as a girl while she shells peas. Let her sing it a while longer, Lord.
May God give you a dry Sunday for the walk to church, Grandpa, and your usual pew.
God, she has outlived most of her friends. Send her visitors this year who stay for a second cup.
Bless [name], Lord, who still sends me a birthday card by post. Keep his hand steady for the next one.

Prayers for your own birthday

Praying for yourself on your own birthday can feel a little odd, a bit like buying your own cake. Do it anyway, before the messages start arriving and the day belongs to other people.

Nobody in this new city knows it's my birthday, God. You do, and that is enough.
Lord, I'm thirty-four and still in the same small flat, with the same cracked tile by the door. Show me what is good about where I am.
Thank you for this body, Father, creaky as it is.
Teach me to count my days, Lord, and to spend fewer of them lying awake over money.
Make me kinder at forty than I was at thirty-nine, Lord, and let it start at home.
Jesus, I blew out the candles alone tonight. Stay a while.

Someone whose year has been hard

A gentle note. Someone who has spent the year in hospital car parks, or who lost a parent in the spring, may not want the day mentioned at all. Keep the prayer small, and leave the word "happy" out of it.

Lord, you know how long the days in the waiting room have been. Sit beside her in the next one.
Father, stay near him at the table today, by his mother's empty chair.
God, the job went in March and the replies haven't come. Quiet his mind in the evenings, when the worry is loudest.
Be gentle with her today, Lord. She's tired, and she doesn't have to explain it to you.

A blessing before the cake

Light the candles first. Someone says a few words over the cake, usually the oldest at the table or whoever minds least, and everyone else bows their head. If there's a toddler near the flame, one adult should keep their eyes open.

Lord, thank you for bringing us around this table again, and for [name] at the head of it. Thank you for her year, the hard days with the good. Bless this cake and the hands that made it. Amen.

God, some of us are here, and some are on the phone propped against the sugar bowl. Bless [name] tonight. Keep him well this year, and keep us close, however many miles are in between. Amen.

Bible verses for a birthday card

Scripture goes into a card word for word, with the reference after it, and the verses here are from the King James Version. Pick one for the year the person has had, so Psalm 139:14 for a new baby and Lamentations 3:22-23 after a hard one.

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)
"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139:14)
"For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased." (Proverbs 9:11)
"Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel." (Psalm 20:4)
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Blessings for a friend who doesn't pray

For the friend who would find a prayer odd, these blessings wish them well without mentioning God at all.

May this year bring you a seat on the morning train and post that isn't a bill.
I hope you spend this year around people who are glad when you walk in, the way we always are.
All the good things I'd pray for, if you were the praying kind, I'm wishing for you anyway.
One more year of your laugh, please, the one I can pick out across a crowded restaurant.
Go well this year, friend.

A prayer they open on their phone

If you'd like the prayer to arrive as more than a text, write it into the letter of a HeartCraft birthday card. On their phone, they pop a few balloons first and blow out the candles. Your prayer appears after they cut the cake, along with your photos.

The Classic design is the calm one, with a night sky, and it suits parents and grandparents. For something shorter to send on the day, there are birthday wishes for WhatsApp as well.

Frequently asked questions

Is it all right to pray for a friend of another faith?

Yes, and a prayer said quietly for a friend of another faith asks nothing of them at all. If you plan to send the words to their phone, one of the blessings without God's name may sit more easily with them.

Can you send birthday prayers in a group chat?

You can, as long as the prayer is short and everyone in the group knows the person well. Send anything longer to them on its own, where nobody else is reading over their shoulder.

How long should a birthday prayer be when said aloud?

Under a minute is plenty, which comes to about four to six sentences spoken slowly. The candles are burning while you pray, and the wax will be on the icing if you go on much longer than that.

Short birthday prayers to send this morning

Send one early, before their phone fills up with everyone else's messages. Each can be read in a supermarket queue with a basket on one arm, and most need nothing changed but a name.

Lord, thank you for the morning she was born, and for every birthday breakfast since.
Father, go with him on the long drive to work and home again.
Jesus, be near my sister today. She won't ask, so I'm asking for her.
May the Lord sit with you over your first coffee on the porch.
God, she's at her desk today, birthday or not. If it isn't too much to ask, send her home early.
Keep him awake on tonight's shift, Lord, and let him sleep when he gets in.
The peace of God go with you out of the door today.
Bless her, Father, from the school run to the last plate in the rack.
May God give you slow Sunday mornings this year.
Lord, one more year of him. Thank you.

Any of these can also close the letter in a HeartCraft birthday card, once they've blown the candles out on their phone.

A birthday prayer for a friend

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." (Philippians 1:3) That line suits a friend of forty years as well as one you met at church last spring, so copy it above whichever prayer you choose.

Wherever he wakes up today, Father, be there first. He's six hours behind me now.
Lord, [name] still picks up when I ring at the wrong hour. Bless her for it.
May God keep you the way you kept me that winter, with soup on the step.
Jesus, you sat her next to me in a lecture hall twenty years ago. I have been grateful ever since.
God, we've been friends since we were eleven. Keep her near you, and near me too, if you don't mind.
Bless him with sleep this year, Lord. He hasn't had much since the baby came.
Thank you, Lord, for a friend who says she'll pray for me and then does, on her knees by the bed.
Father, give my friend one kind person at his new job.
Keep her, Lord. You know what she's carrying.

Prayers for a mother and a father

Your mother may have prayed for you more times than either of you could count, often without telling you. On her birthday, and on your father's, it's your turn to pray for them.

For a mother

God, every week my mother prays down the list of names on the church bulletin while her tea goes cold. Today I'm praying for her.
My mother's hands have kneaded bread for forty years, Lord. Let them rest.
She has worried about us since the day we were born, Lord. Give her an afternoon off.
Keep my mother's knees strong, Father.
Give my mother a holiday this year, Lord, and a son who calls more often.
Heavenly Father, my mother has fed half the street. Let someone else cook for her today.

For a father

Father God, Dad's wedding ring has worn thin, and he still won't take it off to wash the car. Bless them both.
Bless the man who still checks my tyres before every long trip, Lord.
May the Lord keep you among your tomatoes, Dad.
Thank you, Father, for my father. He's never been one for speeches, so I'll keep this short. Amen.
Lord, he retired in June and still gets up at six. Send him someone to have tea with.

Your husband or wife

Write this one by hand, if your handwriting allows. Add something nobody else would get, like the first street you lived on or the song you both murder in the car.

Jesus, we met at a wedding where neither of us knew a soul. Thank you for that wedding, and for her.
Father, my wife keeps the whole house in her head, down to the gas bill. Let me carry some of it this year.
Thank you, Lord, for the man who checks the locks twice, and a third time when he thinks I'm asleep.
God, eleven years married and I still leave the cupboard doors open. Bless her patience, and bless her.
Bring him home safe tonight, Lord. He drives too fast when he's tired.
Father, the children are loud and the flat is small. Keep us kind to each other in it.

A son or daughter, at any age

Lord, a year ago she slept on my shoulder, and now she pulls herself up on the sofa. Keep holding her.
Seven candles this year, Father. Bless my son, loose tooth and all.
Jesus, my boy turns ten today. Keep him curious, and kind when kindness costs him something.
She's sixteen with exams in a fortnight, God. Settle her stomach on the morning of the first paper.
Late buses worry me, Lord. Remind my daughter to text when she's in.
Go with my son to his first job in the city, Lord.
Thank you, God, for thirty years of my son, who still rings home first with good news and last with bad.

Grandparents and older friends

Ninety years, Father. Thank you for every one.
Grandma still sings the hymn she learned as a girl while she shells peas. Let her sing it a while longer, Lord.
May God give you a dry Sunday for the walk to church, Grandpa, and your usual pew.
God, she has outlived most of her friends. Send her visitors this year who stay for a second cup.
Bless [name], Lord, who still sends me a birthday card by post. Keep his hand steady for the next one.

Prayers for your own birthday

Praying for yourself on your own birthday can feel a little odd, a bit like buying your own cake. Do it anyway, before the messages start arriving and the day belongs to other people.

Nobody in this new city knows it's my birthday, God. You do, and that is enough.
Lord, I'm thirty-four and still in the same small flat, with the same cracked tile by the door. Show me what is good about where I am.
Thank you for this body, Father, creaky as it is.
Teach me to count my days, Lord, and to spend fewer of them lying awake over money.
Make me kinder at forty than I was at thirty-nine, Lord, and let it start at home.
Jesus, I blew out the candles alone tonight. Stay a while.

Someone whose year has been hard

Lord, you know how long the days in the waiting room have been. Sit beside her in the next one.
Father, stay near him at the table today, by his mother's empty chair.
God, the job went in March and the replies haven't come. Quiet his mind in the evenings, when the worry is loudest.
Be gentle with her today, Lord. She's tired, and she doesn't have to explain it to you.

A blessing before the cake

Lord, thank you for bringing us around this table again, and for [name] at the head of it. Thank you for her year, the hard days with the good. Bless this cake and the hands that made it. Amen.

God, some of us are here, and some are on the phone propped against the sugar bowl. Bless [name] tonight. Keep him well this year, and keep us close, however many miles are in between. Amen.

Bible verses for a birthday card

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)
"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139:14)
"For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased." (Proverbs 9:11)
"Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel." (Psalm 20:4)
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Blessings for a friend who doesn't pray

For the friend who would find a prayer odd, these blessings wish them well without mentioning God at all.

May this year bring you a seat on the morning train and post that isn't a bill.
I hope you spend this year around people who are glad when you walk in, the way we always are.
All the good things I'd pray for, if you were the praying kind, I'm wishing for you anyway.
One more year of your laugh, please, the one I can pick out across a crowded restaurant.
Go well this year, friend.

A prayer they open on their phone

The Classic design is the calm one, with a night sky, and it suits parents and grandparents. For something shorter to send on the day, there are birthday wishes for WhatsApp as well.

Frequently asked questions

Is it all right to pray for a friend of another faith?

Can you send birthday prayers in a group chat?

You can, as long as the prayer is short and everyone in the group knows the person well. Send anything longer to them on its own, where nobody else is reading over their shoulder.

How long should a birthday prayer be when said aloud?

Under a minute is plenty, which comes to about four to six sentences spoken slowly. The candles are burning while you pray, and the wax will be on the icing if you go on much longer than that.