Our little family prays together every morning... even on Saturdays and Sundays. That hasn't always been the case though. For years before the boy came along, me and Lisa didn't pray together. I actually thought it was good enough that I just reminded her to pray. I'm not sure at what point we realized it was important to pray together, but we have done it ever since.
When Jackman was born, praying together became even more important to us. Don't get me wrong... prayer itself does NOT make us stronger - God does that. Prayer just puts us in touch with the One who gives us grace, strength and peace. Well, praying together did a lot for helping us to communicate with each other as well. I'm not talking about some kind of psychiatrist-type communication garbage either. I'm talking about discussing hard issues about our baby boy that neither one of us even wanted to think about. Back then, the possibilities were really scary at times. In hindsight, I can see how if we had not been praying together we would have been too afraid to even speak to each other about the possibilities, but since we were praying about them together, we were able to encourage and comfort each other through a tough time.
After the boy came home (and especially since he has become mobile and vocal), praying together as a family has entered into a whole new realm. I confess that all three of us peek during our prayer time together... but it is all because of Jackman. Besides, I've never found the verse in the Bible that says "no peeking", and I'm almost certain it does not exist. Jackman actually likes prayer time. We do it in the morning to start the day. I have to admit, I love to see the look on his face when he watches Lisa pray. He just watches her and smiles like he knows something special is taking place. When we finish, he claps. That means something too, because he doesn't just clap for anything.
I guess a good question for anyone who reads this blog is: do you pray together as a family? If so... good! If not... why not? We've learned there really is no good reason not to. Think about it this way - most people spend a lot of time thinking... even worrying about who they need to talk to about important matters, most of whom probably won't really be listening anyway. What if you and your family could have a few calm and easy minutes with someone who actually cares about those things and can actually do something about them? It doesn't hurt that He also created the entire universe too, so He is more than qualified to handle whatever we can lay on Him.
The best thing is that He's glad to do it for us because it frees us of worry. Instead of complaining and groaning to everyone we see, we're free to brag about Him. And its hard NOT to brag on God for taking care of our problems... at least that has been our experience.
Anyway, if you and your family aren't praying together already, don't wait - start today.
