The Family That Prays Together

This slogan may have been developed to encourage praying memorized prayers, but it is even more important for parents in teaching and modeling the intimate, conversational prayers God desires.

Parents’ responsibility to teach

The Bible doesn’t say a lot about family prayer in particular, but parents are clearly to teach God’s ways:

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

And parents are to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Prayer is an essential part of that. It is something that has to be taught, as John the Baptist and Jesus taught their disciples (Luke 11:1).

Praying before meals

Mealtime prayers can be short and may become formulaic if we aren’t careful, but they can have great benefits. Most of all, they remind us of the source of all our blessings. Jesus set us the example of blessing the food God provided (Matthew 14:19; Mark 8:6-7).

In addition, the attitude of gratitude, being together at the same time and perhaps holding hands builds family togetherness, something that is becoming lost in our hectic world.

“Family therapist Anne Fishel says only about 30% of families regularly eat dinner together, despite family meal time being hugely beneficial for kids” (Harvard Edcast).

As Erica Jackson Curran wrote: “Eating meals together just might be the ultimate parenting hack. What else can you do in an hour that will improve your kids’ academic performance, increase their self-esteem, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce their risk of substance misuse, depression, teen pregnancy, and obesity?” (“7 Science-Based Benefits of Eating Together as a Family”).

Praying before bed

Praying together before bed can strengthen families in many ways. When children are very young, parents will do all the praying, with the child first learning to say “Amen,” then learning to add things he or she is thankful for as well as requests.

An added benefit of a bedtime routine is that many parents find their children are more talkative and open to sharing during this time. What may seem just a childish ploy to stay up later may pay dividends as the children grow more independent and often less communicative. Building time into the schedule for talking with God and each other can strengthen family bonds.

Other prayers

Depending on circumstances, there may be times to pray together as a family for safety while traveling, for healing for a family member, for help in making an important decision, for the needs of others, and many other things.

Prayers of repentance are generally private prayers, but we can teach our children about this essential type of prayer as well. If we are discussing David’s sins, we can share David’s heartfelt prayer in Psalm 51. If we are reading in the Bible about Judah’s captivity, we can also read Daniel’s prayer for his people in Daniel 9:1-19.

What other benefits have you found in communicating with God as a family? Contact us and let us know!