Habit of Hope: Praying for the MarketplaceVoorbeeld

Pray for Family

In good times, we often take for granted all that God provides for us each day. So when a crisis hits, anxiety around how we will provide for our families can quickly follow. In Matthew 6, Jesus reassures us that God knows what we need. He won’t stop providing for us when things are tough. The best action we can take is to seek God first. Seek His will. Seek His righteousness. Seek His peace. Seek His love. In John 16:23, Jesus promises that we can ask anything of our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus and He will provide. 

Over and over the Bible tells us not to worry. Worry only distracts us from God and sends a message that we don’t trust Him. The fact is that worrying about our family members will never make a difference. Trusting God through prayer and taking obedient action, on the other hand, will absolutely open the door for God to meet the needs of your family members – including some that you may not even be aware of.

Do you have family members who don’t know Christ? You have an opportunity to demonstrate your faith to them. Pray that you can be a positive influence. Ask God how He wants to work through you to minister to your family members, even from a distance.

Is there discord in your family? Pray for unity. Pray that God uses challenging times to work in the hearts of your family members and bring about forgiveness. Ask God to give you the strength and courage to lead the way in loving family members who are hard to love.

Are you anxious about how your family will get through the crisis? Pray together. You can unite in prayer no matter where you are. Pray at an agreed upon time. Pray together over the phone, or over video chat. Jesus also told us that wherever two or more are gathered in his name, he is with us.

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, help us all to remember that we are part of Your family. Thank You that You provide for all of our needs. All we need to do is seek You. Help my family to be united in prayer. Move in our hearts to draw closer to You and to one another through this time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.