15: Praying For Your Family Daily
The best way I know to build up my family is to pray for them daily, as did Job.
And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. Job 1:5
Sometimes the well runs a little dry when it comes to how to frame my prayer. Here are nine prayers I have found in scripture that have provided some variety and breadth for me that I hope will encourage you. You may try a different one every day for a while.
Have a blessed month,
Steve
Prayers for our Families, based on God’s Word
The Blood of Christ
May the blood of Christ cleanse and purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Adapted from Job 1:5, Hebrews 9:11-14
According to the Might of his Glory
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;
Adapted from Colossians 1:9-11
Our Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come and your will be done for our family, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Adapted from Matthew 6:9-13
For Clean Soft Hearts
Sprinkle clean water upon us, and we shall be clean: from all our filthiness, and from all our idols, please cleanse us. And place a new heart and a new spirit within us. Take away the stony heart out of our flesh, and give us a heart of flesh. Put your Spirit within us, and cause us to walk in your statutes, and keep your ordinances, to do them.
Adapted from Ezekiel 36:25-27
Work in Us
Search us, O God, and know our hearts: Try us, and know our thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in us, And lead us in the way everlasting. Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, our rock, and our redeemer.
Adapted from Psalm 19:14 & Psalm 139:23-24
A Divine Benediction
The LORD bless each of you, and keep you. The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. May the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Adapted from Numbers 6:23-27
Giving Thanks
Thanks you Father in Heaven for my family, because their faith continues to grow, and the love of each of them toward you and one another continues to abound.
Adapted from 2 Thessalonians 1:3
Worthy by His Grace
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
When we don’t know how to pray, we can always appeal to the Holy Spirit for divine assistance.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
Romans 8:26
From a Fellow Reader
1. I try to make a conscious effort to say “yes” to my kids. For some reason, whenever I hear a question start out of a child’s mouth, my natural inclination is to deny the request. I often pray that the Lord will make my “default” answer be YES, and only deny them when I have good reason.
2. I agree with your encouragement to praise our kids often and loudly, but I also like to give “secret praise” sometimes. When I see a child of mine do something worthy of repeating (letting someone else go first, complimenting Mom, putting away stuff, etc.), if there are other people around I will whisper “way to go” or “I saw that” in a way that only the child can hear. Sometimes I give a wink or “thumbs-up” behind other people’s backs so only the kid sees it. It is a fun way to encourage my kid, and do it in a way that says we have a common secret that binds us together. It’s sort of like a private inside joke, but no punch line. Corny? Maybe. Effective? Yes.
3. For Dads with Daughters, compliment your daughter in a way that honors your wife (bonus points if your wife is in the room). “The way you’re wearing your hair makes you almost as pretty as Mom today.” Or, “helping your little brother like that makes me think Mom’s spirit of compassion is rubbing off on you.” It’s the ol “2-for-1” shot of encouragement!