Short family prayer. You may have seen the hall hanging, saying, “A family that prays together stays together.” Even though this is not a verse from the Bible, it reflects the truth of Scripture. Praying together as a family yields tremendous results.
And the best part is, you don’t need to pray for hours – you can easily make a short family prayer now and then. See, God is more interested in the heart of the Christian than in the volume of the prayers offered. So a short family prayer might be more effective than most people think when done right.
Examples of Short Family Prayer
Family prayer in the morning is a beautiful way to start the day together, seeking God’s guidance and committing the day to him. Here are some recommended intentions for family prayer in the morning:
Prayer of Gratitude
Begin the prayer by expressing gratitude for the blessings of life, such as health, safety, and family.
Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts for the blessings of life. Thank you for the gift of health, safety, and family. Help us never take these blessings for granted, and remember that they come from you. Amen.
Prayer for Guidance and Wisdom
Ask for God’s guidance and wisdom to make wise decisions and discern his will throughout the day.
Dear God, we ask for your guidance and wisdom as we begin this new day. Please help us to make wise decisions and to discern your will in all that we do. Guide us in our thoughts, words, and actions, and give us the courage to follow where you lead. Amen.
Prayer for Protection
Pray for protection over each family member physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
God of all creation, we ask for your protection over our family. Protect us from physical and spiritual harm and keep us safe from danger. We trust in your power and love to keep us secure and shield us from all evil. Amen.
Prayer for Strength and Peace
Ask for strength and peace to face any challenges that may arise during the day.
Loving Father, we ask for your strength and peace to face the challenges of this day. Please give us the courage to overcome obstacles and trust your guidance and provision. Grant us your peace that surpasses all understanding and helps us to find rest in your presence. Amen.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Ask for forgiveness for any sins committed and the grace to forgive others.
Merciful God, we come before you with repentant hearts, asking for your forgiveness for our sins. Please help us to confess our wrongs and to turn away from them, trusting in your grace to make us clean. We also pray for the grace to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Amen.
Prayer for Unity and Love
Pray for unity and love among family members, asking God to help them treat each other with kindness and respect.
God of love, we ask for your help cultivating unity and love within our family. Give us hearts of compassion and understanding, and help us to treat each other with kindness and respect. Help us to build each other up and to bear one another’s burdens in love. Amen.
Prayer for Witness and Service
Ask God to help the family to be a witness of his love and to serve others with compassion and generosity.
Father, we ask for your grace to witness your love and serve others with compassion and generosity. Please help us to be your hands and feet in the world, bringing hope and healing to those in need. Use us to make a difference in our community and to bring glory to your name. Amen.
Related Prayers:
Short Morning Prayer for Family
In a short morning prayer, thank God for a restful night and a positive start to the day with your family.
Lord, we thank you for watching over us through the night. We are grateful for the blessing of a brand new day. As the Psalmist said, this is the day that you have made. We shall rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, we thank you in advance for the many opportunities to rejoice and be happy today. Guide us as a family throughout the day. In Jesus’ name, we believe and pray. Amen.
Here are some short evening and morning prayers for family, food blessings, and short family thanksgiving prayers.
Evening Prayer
Father in heaven, we come to you with hearts full of thanksgiving. You have watched over us all day. God, you have ordered our steps. You have blessed the work of our hands. God, you have protected us from the pestilence that wastes at noonday. And now, as we retire to bed, we pray that you will keep us from the arrow that flies at night. We thank you, Lord because you never sleep nor slumber. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Prayer for a Food Blessing
Lord, thank you for providing us with our daily bread. Your word says you shall bless our bread and water and take sickness away from us. We believe and confess that our food is blessed and disease has been taken away. Therefore, we receive this food with thanksgiving. Amen.
These prayers can be adapted or personalized to fit your family’s needs and beliefs. Come together in prayer, seeking God’s presence and guidance, and commit the day to him.
God Blesses a Family that Prays Together
Scripture places a lot of advantages on corporate prayer. For example, Jesus taught that an answer is almost guaranteed when two or three people pray together.
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mathew 18:19-20).
Great power is immediately felt when two or three family members kneel together and say a short family prayer. Because whenever we gather in the name of the Lord, He comes to grace the occasion.
Notice that the Scripture verse does not say where we meet, but when. The emphasis is not on the place of the meeting but on the people gathered.
So you don’t have to wait for Sunday morning to say a prayer – you can pray together as a family, and the good Lord will be right there with you.
The secret of making an effective short family prayer is to pray in line with Scripture. It also helps when you are in one spirit as a family before you pray. Try to solve any disagreements before you approach the throne of grace. Then your short prayers will be powerful and effective.
Also read: PRAYER POINTS FOR THE FAMILY
