Family Prayer Journal by Matt Baxter

Family Prayer Journal.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. - James 5:16 (NLT)

What is a Family Prayer Journal?

Family Page:

A family prayer journal is a place for families to record prayer requests and praises. A prayer journal provides an outlet for families to regularly pray for each other and to hold each other accountable in their relationships with Jesus Christ.

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Who is this Family Prayer Journal For? This prayer journal is for any type of family unit. Whether you are a young married couple with no children, a single-parent family with children, a two-parent family with children, or a married couple with no kids at home – this journal is for you. Just ignore any of the individual family member pages that you don’t need. If you have more family members than there is space for use two prayer journals. You may also include family members that don’t live with you that you would like to pray for on a regular basis.

Individual Family Member Pages:

Why use a Family Prayer Journal?

“Families that pray together stay together.” While this statement sounds cliché, it is very true. One of God’s highest priorities is unifying family relationships. Prayer brings harmony, love, strength, and perseverance to families. Our greatest prayer partners should be those who are closest to us – our immediate family.

Although we live in a culture where it is easier than ever to communicate with people, we often neglect to regularly and lovingly communicate with those closest to us. We get so wrapped up in television, cell phones, and internet that we don’t set apart time to communicate with our immediate family. Families need consistent communication. When we neglect those closest to us we forfeit the blessings that God wishes to bestow upon us. Family prayer provides a great outlet for communication and unity among family members. Family prayer times should be broadened beyond mealtimes and bedtimes. Our needs extend beyond food and nighttime fears. Families should discuss and pray together on all of life’s issues on a very regular basis. Family prayer also provides family accountability. A high priority in any family should be keeping each other accountable in their relationships with Jesus Christ. As you share personal prayer requests and fervent prayer is lifted up, you can follow up on prayer requests and see what God is doing and how that family member is responding to God. If you don’t help your family stay on course with God through prayer, who will? “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) The Bible promises that if you raise your children to pray – they will be committed to prayer. Develop the habit of keeping a family prayer journal and watch your family come together like never before.

There are two sections to this journal – the family page and the individual family member pages. The family page relates to the family as a whole. While the individual family member pages relate to the individual.

Picture: Find a picture for each family member and tape on an individual family member page. Each family member should have their own page. Favorite Bible Verse: Have each family member pick out a verse that they would like their family to pray over them for throughout the year and write it down. Overarching Prayer Requests for the Year: What do you really need prayer for this year – A better relationship with Jesus? An anger problem? Work? School? Deliverance from a bad habit? Write down a few prayer requests that you would like your family to pray for throughout the year. Prayer Requests & Praises: As new prayer requests and praises arise write them down so that your family can pray for you and thank God for what He is doing in your life.

Before you begin (a few pointers): o o o o

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How to use this Family Prayer Journal?

Family Picture: Find a family picture that everyone likes and tape it on the family page. Overarching Prayer Requests for the Year: What does your family really need in the next year - Financial stability? A new house? Better communication with each other? Family ministry opportunities? Decide as a family some important prayer requests for the whole family and record them. These will be prayed over throughout the year. Family Prayer Requests & Praises: As new prayer requests and praises arise during the year that affect the whole family record them. Also record the date you began praying for each request and how God answered your prayer request.

Before you even begin, commit as a family to pray for each other every day and to keep a family prayer journal for one year. Place your family prayer journal in a prominent place in your home so that it can be written in at any time by any family member. Go through your family prayer journal as a family on a weekly to daily basis. The more often you can pray together the better. Find a designated time that you can block off to go through your journal together as a family – this helps keep it consistent. This may be the dinner table or the family room in the morning. Find a time that works for everyone and make it a holy time that your family spends with each other and God. When you go through your journal together, take time to pray as a family and to record any new prayer requests and praises. Keep each other accountable – if a family member is asking you to pray for an anger problem – periodically check up with them. If your children are too young to write, a parent or older child will need to regularly ask them if they have any prayer requests or praises that they want to write down and help record them.

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