10 Benefits of Family Prayer Time

Communication is a basic building block
for families so communicating with God
should be viewed as a basic building
block of the family’s faith.
Many parents may say a simple grace at
meal or a simple prayer with a child at
bedtime, but do you want to do more? Do
you want to actually connect your family
to God through prayer? Do you want
family prayer to make a difference?
Discover some great benefits of praying
together that can inspire you to
persist. Here are 10 top benefits to
consider:

1. Family prayer inspires
   grateful hearts.
   Whether you use the acrostic ACTS
   (adoration, confession, thanksgiving,
   supplication) or another model, prayer
   involves praising God and thanking God
   for blessings. Voicing those thoughts
   helps families focus on positive reasons
   to be grateful. Giving thanks helps us
   realize how much God blesses us.
   Gratitude makes us feel happier and more
   optimistic as we share the joys of our
   days and rejoice in one another’s
   blessings. We also discover more about
   what makes each family member feel
   good. Praising God helps children learn
   that God is real, powerful, and loving.

2. Family prayer
communicates spiritually.

Discuss praises, answered prayers, and
prayer needs, and then pray to build a
conversation with the family that will
bridge to talking with God. This lets each
person voice what in his or her heart. Let
family members pray for one of the
requests and praise for one of the
blessings. This connects needs and
thanks to God.
You speak on another level when you
pray, tapping into a realm of eternal hope
and anticipation of God responding. Take
time to pause and ask if anyone heard
God speak in their heart or through a
Scripture that came to mind. Those are a
few ways God speaks to us when we
pray.

3. Family prayer builds bonds
with one another and God.

A habit of prayer brings a family together
regularly to share the ups and downs of
life and ways God works. When we share
our emotions, we strengthen our bonds.
As we show up, we also realize that God
shows up too. The Lord becomes part of
the fabric of our family, a member we
converse with and share our deepest
sorrows and most blissful joys.

4. Family prayer promotes
good health.

Studies show that prayer lowers stress
and inspires people to be kinder.
Lowering stress in family members
makes home life happier and sweeter.
Prayer even helps regulate a person’s
heartbeat to make it stronger. That’s part
of why other studies link longer life to
prayer. One study even revealed that
prayer helps with self-control, especially
when people pray before a mentally
draining task. So pray before a family
house cleaning day! Prayer also helps
you age more smoothly, so you will be
alive longer to enjoy one another more.

5. Family prayer opens hearts
to forgiveness.

Acknowledging that God is great humbles
us and reminds us that we are not
perfect. That makes it easier to release
anger and bitterness from our hearts.
Praying for one another also raises our
awareness of the emotions of others and
their need to be forgiven. We become
more concerned for those we pray with
and more considerate of their wellbeing.
In effect, we become their cheerleaders
as we pray for them.

6. Family prayer unites across
differences.

When we come together in prayer we are
united in one faith . God matters more
than our differences in politics, opinions,
grades, and views. Through prayer we
remember God created each of us and
loves us, so there’s reason to respect one
another, including our different views.
Prayer also reminds us not to be
judgmental, but to seek to understand.
We can join hands and trust that God is
wiser and can guide us to truth. Prayer
reminds us that we are to love one
another, be kind, and use words that are
uplifting and beneficial.

7. Family prayer teaches
children to seek God first.

Prayer is a natural parenting tool.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states that we are to
keep God’s words on our hearts and
share them with our children. As they
experience faith through prayer, it will
help them seek God at all times. Children
will discover that God is eager to be part
of their lives. In our home, we prayed
before we left, prayed when problems
arose, and prayed when we celebrated
good news. That invited God into all
aspects of our lives and showed we
wanted God to be part of our family.

8. Family prayer makes faith
a priority.

Praying together involves a commitment
of time and faith with one another and
God. When we schedule that time, we
make family and faith a priority. We set
aside worries and tasks to focus on our
spiritual relationship. We are intentional in
sharing those precious moments and
engaging our hearts and minds. Family
members feel appreciated and
understand that everyone, including God,
wants the best for them.

9. Family prayer develops a
God perspective.

Putting God first, using Scriptures in
prayer , and observing how God works in
our lives develops a biblical worldview.
We see things through an eternal and
godly perspective.
It helps to read a Bible story before
praying to see how God worked in lives of
people in the Bible. It also helps to read
words Jesus spoke to hear His reaction to
struggles and His views of life.

10. Family prayer builds a
legacy of answered prayers.

As we praise God for answered prayers
and record them, we also create a legacy
of faith . Children experience how God
blesses their family as they honor Him.
Through prayer we are open to God’s
influence and that impacts our character
to help us become more like Christ. Our
integrity builds a good family name and
heritage.
We can trust God to be with our children
as they reach adulthood. A child may
stray from faith or the practices of
childhood, but the memories will be
ingrained in their hearts and minds to
draw them back to prayer when they face
struggles.
Let your family history and memories be
woven together with years of prayer.