5 ways to pray together as a family

Prayer is one of the best ways to help your family thrive and to see each other grow in relationship with God together. However, doing this well in busy family lives can often feel like a huge challenge!

I don’t have all of the answers, but these are some of the things that as we’ve found that help and nurture our family prayer life:

1. Model

Children love to copy their grown-ups; I’m sure we’re all very aware of that! I remember being young and creeping downstairs to find my Dad reading the Bible and praying in the kitchen every morning. He’d wrap me up and share what he was doing with me before I’d run off to play.

It’s important that we show our children how we invest in our relationship with God so they can copy us.

2. Routine

Building prayer into a routine that is already in place for your family means that it’s far more likely to continue to happen regularly.

In our family, we set an alarm for 6pm every day when we’re normally just finishing dinner, where we pray and sign the Lord’s Prayer. This simple act of repetition helps to create building blocks in our children’s prayer language.

3. Get Creative

Prayer doesn’t have to be speaking out loud, and children often need time to develop their own chatting to God language before they want to vocalise a prayer.

My 4 year old daughter loves inviting me into her duvet tent before bed for what she calls ‘whisper prayers’. Basically, she whispers a lot and I generally don’t know what she’s saying, but I do know that she’s chatting to God about her day. My eldest son likes to write and draw his prayers.

Where we can, we should meet our children in these times and join in. This not only encourages and develops them but it validates their personal prayer relationship with their heavenly father.

4. Opportunities

Prayer can, and should, happen everywhere. When we see something to praise God for, instead of internalising that prayer, why not say it simply out loud so our children know what’s going on in our head.

There are so many daily opportunities to pray if we open our eyes to see them; why not check out Pete Greig’s example of how to make changing a nappy into a time of prayer.

5. Family prayer apps like Lectio For Families

There are so many different resources that can help you pray together as a family. We’re really excited about the launch of Lectio for Families. Aimed at families with children aged 7–11 years old, it’s a free app launching for Advent on the 29th November.

Like Lectio 365, it follows a simple pattern to help families gather, read the Bible, pray together and kindle faith growing conversations. I cannot wait to journey with my own family, and hear stories of other families encountering God together.

Original article from 24/7 Prayer

More on Mission Central

Article

Introducing the Call to Consecration

As a Christian, what does it mean to live the surrendered life? Read more Read more...

Article

Eric Liddell's Lasting Olympic Impact on Chinese Culture

For Eric, the 1924 Olympics was just a brief diversion on his way to serve as a missionary in China.... Read more Read more...

Article

Are We Serving Orphans?

Disturbing facts about the orphanage model are causing many churches to rethink their strategy for orphan ministry. Read more Read more...

Devotional

United in Prayer

Jesus would have said this often as it is at the very heart of the Israelite identity and prayer life. Read more Read more...

Article

Short Term Missions Focus: Discipleship International

Both at home and in Kenya and Uganda, I have really seen the strength when God's body is in unity. Read more Read more...

Article

Power and Discipleship

Jesus chose complete obedience to his Father’s authority and displayed an upside-down way of understanding power. Read more Read more...

Article

Easter: Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Social Isolation

How do we break the cycle of social isolation? Read more Read more...

Article

A Letter from BC Christian Leaders

Let us all join together asking for the grace and peace of our God, all who are sorely tried by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more Read more...