Prayers for Your Family
Day 10, January 11th 2019
FOCUS: to serve God together
Psalm 92:1:It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 100:2: Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Joshua 24:15: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
The Christian life was never intended to be a solitary one. Jesus shared His life with twelve disciples and then taught them to share it with others. The early believers gathered together to break bread and share the living Word.
What we do each week in church is an expression of shared belief in Jesus – His body, a community of faith that gains strength and courage through worship.
But a full and meaningful life of following Jesus is built on much more than one hour a week in church. It requires personal devotion and an interdependence with others in prayer, study, fellowship, and praise.
In other words, the best way to follow and serve Jesus is in community. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you’re widowed, single, divorced, or living in a blended family, God has a group for you, a place of intimate belonging.
This cluster of believers is a smaller version of the church, or we could say the church is a larger expression of the family unit. However we view it, the purpose is to be a place for love, acceptance, prayer, and to celebrate the communion of Jesus among us.
Finding time to pray as a family beyond grace at meals is an important discipline. To share our hearts, burdens, and triumphs is important, as well as encouraging each other to stay strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:18).
Prayer is as uncomplicated as talking to God together. Seeking time with a trusted brother or sister can move us from defeat to victory. Building the habit of worshiping together is critical to becoming the people God desires for us to become.
REFLECT: Who is your family, your community of faith, other than the larger church you attend?
How do you express love, acceptance, grace, and encouragement with them?
What elements of prayer and worship are regularly missing from your time with them?
PRAYER: Great Father God, Jesus my Brother, Holy Spirit my Comforter... lead me into deeper communion and fellowship with You and with my community of faith. Begin with my own family to teach me to be bold to lead in worship and prayer, to bring the greatest glory to You, the only wise God, forever and ever.