PRAYING FOR AND WITH FAMILY

Families can be complicated and complex. Sometimes people have large immediate families, sometimes it’s just a few people. Some people can’t walk a mile without running into a cousin and some have one or two cousins that they haven’t talked with since they were kids. Some people have a diverse family from multiple marriages or adoptions or foster care and some people just have two parents. Some people’s family members are all believers and some people are the lone Christian in their family. There is no “one size fits all” with families. But, there is one thing we should always be doing for our family members: pray for them.

Do you pray for your family members individually? Do you intentionally ask them for prayer requests? Do you pray with your family outside of meal time? Take a moment to really answer these questions. My answers are sadly rather abysmal. I’m pretty close with my immediate family and they’re all Christians, but I pray more for the needs on the church prayer chain, rarely straight up ask my family for requests, and even more rarely pray with them. All of us have unique family situations, but I think there are some universal excuses for a lack of prayer time with family members.

We’re too comfortable and familiar with our family. This is where my excuses stem from: laziness. It’s easier just to catch up with a family member and then randomly pray for them during my quiet time than taking time out of a conversation to write down a prayer request. But I want to change. I’m going to text my family members once a week and ask them for requests. As mentioned in the previous post, I’m using the PrayerMate App over the summer, so this will be a perfect time to update that portion of my lists! Praying with family seems more daunting. I’m going to start slowly and try to pray with at least one member in my immediate family one time this month. What goals could you set to improve your time praying for and with family?

We’re too busy to keep up on anyone outside of our household. I have a lot of extended family. Some I rarely see. But they need prayer too! Maybe it is unfeasible to keep up a relationship with every person, but I can still add them to my prayer lists. The Apostle Paul never met the Christians in Colossians, but he prayed for them earnestly (Col. 1:3-14)

We’re too embarrassed or too scared to ask. Maybe you’re the only Christian in your family. Maybe you feel embarrassed that you haven’t been a good witness to them. Maybe you don’t want your relationships with them to change. Take a look at Romans 1:16-17. But what if they stop talking to you? Isn’t it better to keep a door open? The better question is, what if they die tomorrow and you didn’t share the gospel? Prayer is a really great way to reach out to people without the pressure of apologetics. My father-in-law is a great example of this. His family knows who to go to if they want prayer and answers to the deeper questions. They aren’t buddies with him any more, but when things get real, they know where to go. Be the light and use prayer to witness to them.

We’re too bitter to pray for a family member. This one is the hardest. It is possible that someone in your family has hurt you or another family member very deeply. I cannot imagine how terrible that would be. If this describes you, I hope you get a Christian friend, mentor, counselor or all three to help you. Please don’t stay in bitterness. Get help so God’s grace and mercy can help you heal. Praying for that family member could even be part of that healing process (Mt. 5:43-45)

No matter your family situation, don’t let a few excuses get in the way of praying. Be the one to initiate change in your family. If your family is great at praying for and with one another, share with others what works for you! I know I’d love to hear your ideas. We could all use some encouragement to better pray for our family.

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