Praying Over Your HomeSample

Your Kitchen

For our family, all the good things we talked about yesterday in our living rooms and dens usually began in the kitchen.

As a teenager, coming into the house after a day at school, I always found my mom in the kitchen. I would grab something to eat and sit on the kitchen counter to talk to her as she continued to work on that evening’s dinner. On most days, my close friends were already there in our kitchen, snacking and talking to my mom when I got home.

Her love and care for me and my friends warmed that room in amazing ways. It was our favorite gathering place. As Nancy and I raised our kids, we wanted our kitchen to have that same atmosphere. We wanted our kids and their friends to feel loved and cared for as they spent time in our kitchen.

Today, our kitchen is still the first gathering place when family and friends are over. I love so many things about the kitchens in my life: great smells and meals, food cooked perfectly (and food burned or overcooked!) laughter and joking; telling stories; praying; and the realization that all of this comes from a God who loves us more than we can ever imagine. It is living out Acts 2 as we eat, laugh, and celebrate God’s goodness.

The Bible speaks a lot about community, fellowship, and specifically, fellowship around meals. Meeting together for meals is often mentioned, like in today’s verse from Acts, as a way for believers to grow in fellowship.

We also need to take note of the amount of feasting found in Scripture! The Israelites celebrated several feasting days, which we see Jesus and his parents observing in today’s passage from Luke. These feasts were a time to remember all God had done, and to praise him for His goodness and provision. We can use our daily meals together to do the same.

Use this guide today as you pray over your kitchen and invite God’s presence into it.

• Give thanks and praise to God as you remember all that He has already provided.
• For God to be the bread of your family's life and to sustain each of you.
• For quality, fun, and meaningful mealtimes as a family.
• For God’s provision for your family.
• For the good health of every family member.
• That you, your spouse, and your family would steward your bodies well and take care of them as much as it depends on you.
• For God to work every day in this space, growing your fellowship and community.