Being P.R.A.Y.E.R.F.U.L.Sýnishorn

"F is for Family"

One of the fastest ways to find yourself in a mess is to talk about somebody’s mama. Even if what they’re saying is true, there are just some topics that are off limits. The same goes for brothers and sisters: it’s one thing for you to pick at them, but Heaven forbid anyone else tries to! That’s the fearsome and awesome nature of family.

God loves the family. It is perhaps His greatest design, modeled after the Holy Unity of Father, Son, and Spirit whose bonds surpass even our deepest familial ties. It is with this in mind that you should pray unceasingly for your family: its stability, its strength, its needs, and its receptivity to the Gospel.

If I caught you off guard with that last one, let me break it down… Stable homes are obviously important, as is the strength of the ties that bind us together. And no one will fault you – least of all God – for praying for the health and prosperity of those under your roof. But in terms of need – true need – the one thing our families must have, above all else, is Jesus. Without Him, nothing else matters; with Him, everything else is taken care of. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Matthew 6:25-34)

Yes, you love your family. But are you meeting its deepest need? Your family is your first and primary mission field. Whatever role therein you’ve grown accustomed to – parent, spouse, sibling, in-law – the primary role God expects of you is that of a missionary. By that I do not mean that you should merely pray that your family find its way to faith in Christ: I mean that you should pray that God equips you to lead them there yourself! (Hebrew 13:20-21, 2 Timothy 1:7) True love for your family demands no less.

Pray this: “Lord Jesus, please give me the opportunity and the courage to speak to my family about You. Equip me to help them understand how much I truly love them, and how – because of that love – I want them to come to know You as I do. Help me to lead them where I am going. Amen.”