How do you and your family pray? How often do you pray? I must confess, dear ladies, that it surprises me how little God’s people are praying at this time. How can that be? We are facing lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and tyranny. And still the church of God isn’t calling for prayer meetings and crying out to God? What must yet happen before God gets our attention?
Of course, it starts in the home. The church will never be a praying church until we are praying families. In the New Testament I find six ways God wants to pray.
1. FERVENTLY
God not only wants us to pray, but to pray fervently. Epaphras “labored fervently” in prayer for the Colossian believers (Colossians 4:12). This word means to “contend for the victory, to fight, to wrestle.” What kind of praying do you do in your family? Do you pray fervently? That means fighting against the devil and all evil. Are you teaching your children pray this way? They learn to pray from you.
James 5:16: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
AMPC: “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (dynamic in its working).”
TPT: “Tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!”
2. BELIEVINGLY
God wants us to pray believingly. Read Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:23, 24.
3. CONTINUALLY
God wants us to pray continually. Colossians 4:2 tell us to: “Continue in prayer.” The word “continue” is “proskartero” and means “to be devoted to prayer, to continue steadfastly, to keep persisting, keep persevering, earnestly and unwearied.”
It’s easy to give up on prayer, isn’t it? But Romans 12:12 (NLT) admonishes us to “Keep on praying” and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT) tells us to NEVER STOP PRAYING.” Never give up, no matter how bleak the situation. Do you have a loved one who is not walking with God? They can never get away from your persistent and continual prayers.
Read these examples: Luke 21:36; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 1:16; 6:18; Colossians 1:3, 9; 4:2, 12; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; and 2 Timothy 1:3.
4. EARNESTLY
God wants us to pray earnestly. Read James 5:17.
5. EXCEEDINGLY
God wants us to pray exceedingly.
1 Thessalonians 3:10: “Night and day praying exceedingly.” The word “exceedingly” is the Greek word “perissos” and means “exceeding some number or measure, over and above, more than is necessary, much more than all, surpassing the ordinary.”
Are you praying beyond the normal? Are you gathering your family together morning and evening to cry out to God for this nation and the nations of the world? Have you thought of having a prayer meeting in your home and inviting others to come in and pray with you? We have never been without a corporate prayer meeting in our home.
When we have prayer meetings in our home, we always include the children. We don’t even send the little ones off to bed but encourage them to be part of it. My husband usually says to the children: “Alright children, you can all pay first before you go off to sleep.” So the children will often be the first to pray and gradually they begin to fall of to sleep as the pray3er meeting continues.
6. PERSEVERINGLY
God wants us to pray perseveringly (Ephesians 6:18). We won’t change the world praying little prayers now and then. We change the world by being committed to prayer, wrestling in prayer, persevering in prayer, and pouring out our hearts in prayer. We do it personally. We do it as a family each day, teaching our children how to cry out to God and intercede in prayer. And we do it corporately, gathering in others to pray with us.
Let’s become praying families.
Praying families are nation changing families.
Praying families are world changing families.
Be encouraged.
Nancy Campbell