Importance of Prayer in Family Setting

Adam and Eve enjoyed a different kind of life with God than we do today. Even after they fell from grace in the Garden of Eden, they could still interact with God at a higher level than most of us. Even Cain the murderer could hear God speak to him about the blood of Abel crying out for vengeance from the ground that had received it. Before the first couple rebelled against God at the instigation of satan, they could see God as He manifested Himself to them and have fellowship with Him. Sin naturally brings separation between a holy God and humans. The fellowship was broken after they rebelled and were chased out of the Garden. The next time we see man trying to reach God was in the sacrifices presented by both Cain and Abel. Nothing was said about prayer until Genesis 4:26, “And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.”

      Obviously, Adam and Eve did not need to pray to God since they had fellowship with Him regularly. Why do we need to seek God’s face? Isaiah 45:15 says, “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour”. However, God reveals Himself to those who seek Him with their whole heart as attested to by Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart”. The motive for seeking His face is also important. Many of us approach God as a means to our ends- marriage, careers, children, breakthroughs etc. And this is not lost on Him because He knows our thoughts afar off (Psalm 139:2). Almighty God desires to have a loving and productive relationship with us on the basis of His original intention of creating humans. He wants us to desire a love relationship with Him; not a relationship that is influenced by our wants and needs.

No place is such a relationship more critical than in the family setting where two people from different backgrounds live together as husband and wife. Along the line, they bring in children into the same space who may have their unique personality traits. How can parents maintain a godly equilibrium where each person in the family has different desires, wants and aspirations? The only way to ensure peace in a family setting is to make God the centre of the home. This can only be done by building a relationship with Him and nourishing it with prayer.

That brings us to the question of what prayer entails. Many people define prayer as talking to God about things and issues. That may be so but God is not just the source of our blessings. He wants to be enjoyed by humans. He desires to participate in our lives, to share in our joys and pains. He wants friendship with us. It is a shame that many people who call themselves ministers of God do not encourage their congregation to have this kind of relationship with God. Instead, they present themselves as mediators between their followers and God. Yet, Scripture tells us that there is only one mediator between us and God, Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world (1 Timothy 2:5).

This kind of attitude encourages prayerlessness among many believers. Rather than seek God’s face, they go to meet the ‘man of God’ for counselling. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against counselling. When people are newly born again, they are like infants who feed on milk. At this stage, they need guidance from matured believers, not just the pastors and other ministers. But this should not be the norm after they have grown in maturity. Believers should be taught from the onset to learn to take their problems and challenges to the LORD first. This will help them to grow in faith and know His voice as they continue in their walk with Him. Jesus Christ said in John 10: 27, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them”. It is through constant interaction with Him that we become familiar with His voice.

          Believers who fail to have a thriving relationship with the LORD actually shoot themselves in the feet because there is no victory in prayerlessness. This is more manifest in the family setting. A prayerless family opens doors to satan and his minions to enter with their divisive tendencies. Then, each member of the family will pursue their own interest at the expense of other people. Divisiveness breeds intolerance, bitterness, envy and other hateful conducts. A prayerless family is one-step away from either divorce or a dysfunctional home. A dysfunctional family is one in which conflict, misbehaviour, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes all of the above occur continuously and regularly. Other members of the family may or may not accommodate such actions, leading to breakups in some cases.

     In an article titled, “Praying Together as a Family”, an organisation known as Focus on the Family describes prayer as the life-breath and heartbeat of a truly Christian home. It observes that when the family prays together, each member learns what it means to be intimate with God. It also explains that praying together is the most critical thing parents can do to pass their convictions on to the next generation. It therefore enjoins parents to teach their kids to pray; noting that prayers do not have to be long, formal, and fancy. The group recommends short, spontaneous and conversational prayers whenever families gather to pray. It also charged parents to do everything they can to make their children fall in love with God. This aligns with the Scriptural injunction: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). If you want to have a happy home, make prayer your top priority. Soak everyone in your home in prayer and learn to fellowship with God daily. That is the secret to a blessed life.

**** Some materials sourced from https://en.m.wikepedia.org; https://www.focusonthefamily.com.