Of course we pray for family members to be healthy, happy, and terrific. What about taking our prayers beyond the basics? ◊

As noted in the previous post, how we pray for our children (as well as ourselves) is a developed practice and mind shift honed with experience. To be clear, this mind shift comes from a full, all-out belief in the God of Abraham, Jews and Gentiles; the God made flesh in Jesus who lived, died, rose again, and delivered to us His Holy Spirit by which we now have direct access to Him anytime via the act of prayer. In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)

Apart from that basis, prayer is often seen as wishful thinking or merely transmitting good thoughts and vibrations.

It is so much more than that. Prayer is a vehicle for communication directly with the greatest spiritual power in the universe; namely, God of all Creation. It’s a miss in life to take it lightly or haphazardly or pay it mere lip-service.

The life and death of you and your family depend upon it.

My Prayer for Me, My Wife, My Children, and Grandchildren
That teenage daughter and oldest son I mentioned in my last post (Praying for Your Children) are now married and have families of their own. My youngest son as well. My wife and I used to pray for ourselves and our 3 children. Now we pray for our 3 children, their spouses, and our 10 grandchildren. It’s a big list, particularly when other items in life get added to it.

Here is the basic structure and flow to a daily prayer^* that I pray these days for my whole family:

1. Invite God Into My Presence – I open with a specific invitation asking God to be with me.
   • “Dear God, I ask that You be with me, right now in this place, through Your Spirit, as I come to You in prayer.”
2. Acknowledge and Thank God – I bring a heart of worship, praise, and thankfulness to my prayer.
   • “Lord, I honor and praise You as my Sovereign God, and I thank you for what You have done in saving and restoring me to You through Christ. Thank You for my life and my family and all the good blessings I have and even the struggles and challenges that I face today.”
3. Submit Myself Under God’s Authority – I surrender myself and my family to God in full submission.
   • “Lord, I trust you, love you, and surrender myself and my family to You today as living sacrifices. As for me and my household and all that is under my control and domain, I submit all to You and will serve You with all my heart and soul, mind and will.”
4. Seek God’s Forgiveness – I acknowledge all manner of sin in thought and deed and ask for forgiveness.
   • “Lord, forgive me for my sins (name them specifically) and cleanse me today, my heart, mind, body, and soul, from all evil and darkness. Thank You for Your constant loving grace and mercy.”
5. Seek God’s Protection – I ask God for spiritual, physical, and psychological protection.
   • “Lord, in the power of Your Holy Spirit, protect me from Satan and all forces of evil in this present darkness. Cover me with Your full armor of truth, righteousness, salvation, faith and spirit. Protect me and my family from all spiritual, physical and psychological harm this day.”

Then for each individual in my family, starting with myself and cycling through each person (about 1 minute each with slight variations based on the age and circumstances of the individual), I continue my daily prayer structure as follows:

1. Blessings Today – I ask for God’s full hand of blessings upon this family member.
   • “Lord, I ask that You shower (family member’s name) with Your full blessings today and that he/she will submit to Your authority, receive, and acknowledge what You show and provide them today.”
2. Impact Today and Tomorrow– I ask for God to use this family member for full impact in this world as God wills.
   • “Lord, I pray for (family member’s name) to be filled with Your Spirit and know well his/her spiritual gifts to fully realize in his/her life today and in the future all the impact that You have planned for him/her in this world.”
3. Guidance Today and Tomorrow – I ask God to direct and guide this family member in all short and long term decision-making.
   • “Lord, I ask for Your hand to guide and direct (family member’s name) in all decisions today and tomorrow, including choices of obedience to You. Direct and intersect him/her with right friends, teachers, schools, homes, and employment. May Your will be done in directing him/her to their future spouse and even children that they will raise up in the ways of the Lord. Lead him/her to long life following You in full joy and obedience.”
4. Protection Today and Tomorrow – I ask for God to specifically protect this family member.
   • “Lord, I pray for Your protective hand over (family member’s name) in all ways spiritual, physical, and psychological. Protect and preserve him/her so that he/she may be a powerful force and warrior against the Enemy, stepping boldly all of his/her life through the full power and authority of the Spirit of God.

The Nature of Prayer
Prayer is not magic. It is supernatural. It is real and unfathomable. I only know that we’re told in the Bible to pray and worship our Creator God, and that Jesus, the God-Man injected into human history on our behalf, also instructed us to do so, as He did, and foreshadowed the gift of the Holy Spirit for those that believe and follow Him in obedience.

That we can come to God/Jesus/Holy Spirit directly is again, both real and unfathomable.

Nevertheless, we do it and we can be assured of His presence and engagement. Not for riches or fame, but to live richly in our kingdom over our domain under the full authority and power of the One who gives us all things. Even so, it’s not necessarily about this life; rather, it’s about us in this life as directed and led by the God who created us and has great plans for us.

So hopefully, we are paying attention and praying daily and responding in humble obedience to our Father who truly knows best. With this, our families will be blessed now and for future generations.

Are you praying fully for your family and children? 
_______________________________
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:16-19

^* I have been heavily influenced in my prayer life development by both Ransomed Heart Ministries’ The Daily Prayer and Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer of Jabez.

Categories: Abundant Living, Devotion, Discipleship, Evil, Faith, Family, Fathering, Forgiveness, Jesus, Marriage, Parenting, Prayer, Purpose

Tags: daily prayer, family prayer, power of prayer, prayer, praying for children