Creative ways to pray as a family

First of a 2-part teaching series

by Carol Hatcher

“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food…” This simple prayer spills from the mouths of babes. Perhaps this was your first prayer, or maybe your childhood supplication began with, “Now I lay me down to sleep…”

Whether your initial prayer was to bless your food or your slumber, the important thing is that you learned. “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Psalm 34:11)

Many methods of prayer can include your children. Teaching kids how prayer plays a part in putting God first is essential. “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Praying without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17) is easier than it seems. You can incorporate prayer into many facets of your family’s daily life. Here are a few creative ways to get everyone involved.

1. Before school supplication

“But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.” (Psalm 88:13) Draw near to God in the morning. Carve out time in your busy routine to stop and pray over the day’s events. Let your children contribute by offering things for which they want to give thanks and sharing any prayer concerns for the day, such as upcoming tests. Hold hands and pray specifically over each child, calling them by name or by praying Scripture verses with their name inserted.

2. Car prayers

“Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) As you go about your day, it’s not hard to spot those who need prayer. When you spot an ambulance at the scene of a crash, pray out loud over the people in the accident. See a motorist honking and losing patience with another vehicle? Pray peace for all parties involved. Pray blessings over the poor person who was ticketed for speeding, and offer prayers of protection over the police and firefighters you may pass.

3. Prayer knots

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16) Choose some ribbon – one strand for each member of your family, labeled with their name. Hang them in a visible spot. Pray over each member of the family and tie a knot to symbolize your prayer. Encourage your entire unit to intercede for each other. Brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers can feel confident and blessed as they watch their respective ribbons fill with knots. When a ribbon gets full, let that member take the prayer knot to their room and hang a new one.

4. Christmas card prayers

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.” (I Thessalonians 1:2) The giving and receiving of cards symbolizes the start of the Christmas season. Well wishes are sent from one home to another; some have pictures of families and others contain sentiments scribbled within a paper greeting. Instead of tossing away the cards you’ve collected over the holidays, gather them in a basket to keep. Let your children choose one card per week and pray for the friends who sent it. Be sure to contact the family members to let them know you are praying.

5. Prayer journal

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jeremiah 29:12) Purchase a blank journal for each of your children. Ask them to write down any fears, concerns or praises on a daily basis. At the end of the day, sit down and discuss the items they’ve written. Before they go to bed, pray aloud with them about the things in their journal. They will learn from the prayers you model. As they mature, they may choose to keep the journal private. Honor their wishes and foster a healthy prayer relationship with Christ.

As you can see, teaching your children to pray at all times is quite doable, and these same ideas can be tweaked to help them pray for anything – including national leaders and the future of America. Finally, it’s worth the extra effort, and will equip them for life; when they are old, they won’t depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Carol Hatcher is a former elementary school teacher turned writer, and is a regular contributor to the Vantage Point devotional series. This southern belle lives with her husband and three children in Buford, GA.