Oftentimes, we pray that all the family is safe, that God bless all the missionaries, and that there be peace on earth. Those are wonderful prayers, but we need to get more specific.
Regardless of your current family situation, each of us have people we consider family. It is easy to resort to worrying for our family or attempting to fix all of their situations, but are we strategically praying for them?
When King David was nearing death, he prayed over the nation of Israel but eventually he focused his prayer specifically upon his family. In the hearing of all the nation, this father prayed a specific prayer concerning his son. Read the passage below and notice what he prayed for:
1 Chron. 29:18-19 – LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of Your people, and confirm their hearts toward You. Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and to carry out all Your commands, Your decrees, and Your statutes, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.
Think about what David prayed for his son:
- Give him a desire for the LORD
- Confirm his heart towards the LORD
- Give him a whole heart to obey the LORD’s commandments
- Allow him to do an important ministry work
- Allow him to use what has been supplied by the legacy before him
In the same way that David prayed targeted prayers towards his son, we need to get specific concerning our prayer targets for our family. What pivotal prayers needed to be offered regarding each family member?
Do some research and find some Bible verses you can pray over each one as well.
Scripture-saturated prayers (John 15:7) provide powerful clarity.
You may have to do some work to find verses, but it will be worth the time.
Whether you use a commentary, your Bible index, or an internet search, find some verses with which to target these prayers.
One of my favorite sites for Scripture search is Open Bible. It provides a search function to help find verses on different topics. It is very thorough.
You may pray for them every day or you may want to focus on them on pivotal days.
Just get praying!
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
