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We live so near to our family members, and we live a great deal of our lives with our families. As such, we frequently find ourselves praying for them. Before we begin, I would like to note that it's correct that there is no ”right” method to pray for your household. Actually, if you are speaking about them in prayer by any means, it is honoring to them and God is gratified. Having said that, there are several principles that, when followed, may bring those prayers to a new level… generating much deeper, meaningful dialogue between you and God regarding your spouse and children. Here they are: #1: Use Scripture in Your Prayers The 1st top way to pray for family is to try using scripture with your prayers. No matter what the issue is, you will find scripture that talks to that matter. As an example, if your family member is struggling with a dependency, you will find a section of scripture that encourages us in times of temptation. For instance, in the book of 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:13), scripture says - ”No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind; and God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” In speaking this verse in your prayer, you'll “remind” God of what He promises in scripture as proof that He will deliver your relative from that addiction. Of course, we don’t really “remind” God of anything… nevertheless the exercise helps emphasize God’s promises and the opportunity to see His faithfulness in delivering the assurances of His Word. #2: Avoid Being Selfish The 2nd main principle is often very difficult to implement! It is very easy for us to pray for family members (and others, in general) to take action in manners and do things that support what we actually want for us! ”Lord, help my wife understand that we just don’t have the funds for new furniture right now” or…“God, help my little girl to score the most soccer goals on the team today…” While these can be respectable requests and certainly have their own merits, they have a component of what WE prefer to take place beyond what exactly is suitable for our family members. Just how can we easily parse out the difference? The key to centering your focus on what may be more relevant prayer is this… Ask yourself if you are praying to help promote spiritual growth. Specifically, you will want to ask God to reveal to you how this concern improves your family member’s spiritual growth. Also, we might need to ask God to show to us what He wants us to see about our own spiritual growth! For perspective, our prayer above for the furniture might change into the following: “Lord, thanks for providing my wife to consider the comforts in our home. While I do not wish to commit our money on furniture at the moment, help me to appreciate how this purchase might serve You. Perhaps not having this furniture is a barrier to sharing our house right now. Moreover, please divulge to me any selfishness inside my heart with this purchase, as well as opportunities to serve by buying it. Am I actually resistant because I'd rather spend our money on a brand new TV or am I unwilling to scale back in my own spending to compromise for her. Help me understand the rewards you have waiting for us should we buy this furniture.” Our prayer for our daughter could become this as an alternative: “God, thanks for the athletic ability You have given my daughter. She amazes me with all she is capable of while using gifts you have provided her. However, I understand that she was ultimately made by You to glorify Your Name. If it is Your will, I pray You help her succeed mightily on the soccer field today by scoring goals. In the end, however, I pray that on this stage, she finds methods to glorify Your name, whether by her athletic triumphs or her attitude in the game.” #3: Pray Out-Loud, With Your Family Member A 3rd approach to enhance prayers for family is to pray WITH your family member! Admittedly, this is not the common way we pray. In addition, prayers for intercession usually are between God and us. More typically, we tell our family members we will pray for them or we are praying for them to encourage them in their struggles. Our exact dialogue with God about them remains private. That being said, imagine if your loved one had the ability to hear you implore God for their comfort, or their desires to become a reality, or their struggles to be over… if they could listen to how profound your personal emotion is on their behalf! Once more, it is not always the right approach for family members to know the words you are praying about them. Nonetheless, there may be opportunities to more deeply move or encourage your family member in their time of need when they can audibly perceive the degree of your own investment in their success or relief. Please visit my FREE ministry site at OnlinePrayerJournal.com for lots of tools to help accelerate your spiritual growth!
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