One of the most important things we have done with our children is to have a time of family prayer. We gather, we read and study God’s holy word we pray.
When we would pray, we always created a prayer space. Creating a prayer space is a wonderful way to say that the time we are entering into is sacred, special, intentional and holy.
Decide on the best time for your family. Mornings are best for us but maybe you would prefer evenings or maybe daily prayer is too much right now, how about every Sunday night? The point is to pray as a family not how often or when. Also, a critical part of family prayer is to make sure that all of your kids help you in the set up. They love being a part, especially lighting the candle!
Things you will need: (Creating a prayer space should not be difficult or expensive. All of the items we used were found at thrift stores or we already had.)
A table that has been completely cleared. *Even if all of the mess was moved to the couch or floor, it's good to have an uncluttered prayer space.
A pretty tablecloth or piece of fabric
An adult bible to read and study from
A children’s bible for the smaller children to look through
A candle with a handle *I prefer these. They keep the candle from dripping on the cloth.
A candle lighter *I love this one from Amazon. It’s cheap and the kids won’t burn themselves.
An icon *I love The Good Shepherd icon to always remind us of who Jesus is
A mason jar or vase to put clippings from your yard in
Optional - We are Anglican Christians so we love using the Book of Common Prayer’s Morning or Evening Prayer service. It is absolutely gorgeous and guides the family through recited scripture, beautiful prayers and The Lord’s Prayer.
Keep your prayer space items in a basket under a couch or in a closet that way they are easy to get out and use.
Do you do anything special for family prayer? If so, I’d love to hear other ideas!