Cultivating Family Prayer
by Lisa and Randy Wilson
"If God be for us, who can be against us " Romans 8:31
"No weapon formed against you will prosper... " Isaiah 54:17
I sat up in bed drenched in sweat and trembling. I couldn't move, I was so overcome with fear. These dreams had been arresting my heart, on and off, for the first year of our marriage – dreams of Randy leaving.
I came from generations of unfaithful men, so it was natural for me to worry about that. But as I continued to fight against these dreams, I knew it was the enemy I was struggling against, and he seemed ferocious. I woke Randy, and told him about my battle.
Randy sat up and began to pray with great authority. He told the enemy that he had to leave. He told the enemy he had no place in our home. He told him, "No weapon formed against us will prosper!" He claimed for us our rightful place before the throne of God. And then he promised me that he would never leave me. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Randy's prayer and words to me that night shattered the power of a generational sin that I had always worried would pass down to my marriage.
That was the last time those disturbing dreams ever came to me. It was the last time the enemy would mock the union of our marriage with such boldness. That was twenty-four years ago. We've now added seven beautiful children to our home, by God's grace, and I could tell you story after story of our children wrestling with the enemy, too. But we have also watched with awe as the Lord our God has fought for us!
We have an enemy who seeks to devour everything we are as a family. He comes against us through fear and doubt, especially during the night. Many times, Randy and I have awakened with a conviction to pray over our home and our children. I think of Lamentations 2:19 (NIV): "Arise, cry out in the night… pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him, for the lives of your children…"
One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is to teach them to run to God, and to cry out to Him with every need of their hearts.
We teach our children to pray by allowing our children to observe us:
- providing a personal example by praying ourselves
- crying out to God in the face of our own fears
- confessing our sins and asking forgiveness
- gratefully acknowledging the goodness of God, and thanking Him for His many gifts
Our children need to see that we are utterly dependent upon Him for wisdom, direction, and protection in every single detail of our lives.
I love that the Lord tenderly says, in James 4:8 (NKJV), "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." To me that verse is not just a command, but the gentle reassuring whisper of a father as He pulls me up into His lap to hold me. He is the comforter, He is the roaring lion, and He is the tenacious warrior. He is there. He is always there, hearing every cry, and attending to the smallest of our needs.
Praying together as a family will get God's attention. He is longing to show Himself to those whose hearts belong to Him. Let's pray constantly. Tiny prayers, whispered prayers, exhausted prayers, desperate prayers, prayers drenched in tears – all of these prayers capture the heart of God and ignite His compassion for us!
Our children are watching! Let's pray.