We need to pray with our families as a family. I am sure that many families rarely participate in activities together, but rather focus their time on TV, or the Computer or even agendas that are different than each other. When we forfeit this privilege to pray with our families for our families, both parents and children lack unity from God through prayer.
As a family, we should pray more than at a meal or bedtime. When your child is disobedient or rebellious, it is a perfect time to pray with them asking God to help them to be faithful to His word in honoring you, their parent.
Or if you have sinned in your anger, it is completely okay to ask them to pray with you as you confess your sin against them or a spouse so they can see your true humility (I've already done this today). This is when children truly see prayer as a part of faith and not just a ritual done at dinner time or bedtime, it will also encourage them when they see that you are in need of God’s help for obedience.
Be sure to teach the families to pray all together - father, mother and children. For the family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as Jesus loves each one of them...I will be praying that the Lord will bring peace into the world through the love of fathers for their families... Mother Teresa
John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
There is nothing more humbling than praying together with my children over mistakes we've each made. It knits us closer to each other and with God who we need desperately to cover those mistakes. Thank you for the wonderful reminder that we need to be praying together as a family. It's so easy to go on with life without stopping to pray together, but the intimacy that a family can find there is a blessing from God that we miss out on when we don't do it.
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