Creative Prayer: Far From Home

Focus: Remembering family members in prayer

Before You Begin:

Plan to use this creative prayer time when a family member will be away from home for several days. It could be used when a parent is away on a business trip, when a child spends a week at camp, during those first nervous days of school, or any other time when family members will be separated for a length of time.

The Prayer Time!

Bring your family together and remind everyone of the upcoming separation. Then read the following passages together:

“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” (2 Timothy 1:3)
“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.” (Philemon 1:4-5)
“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16)

Then ask your family these questions:

Why do you think it’s important to pray for each other when we’re apart?
How do you feel when you know someone far away is praying for you?
As our family experiences time apart from each other, what are things we should remember to pray about? (For example, safety during travel, freedom from fear while at camp, or whatever the needs are in your specific situation.)

Together determine one or more specific times during the day for everyone to remember to pray. Choose a time when family members can be reminded to pray by an alarm or bell of some kind.

For example, your family might choose to pray at 10:15 a.m. One child will be reminded to pray because a school bell rings at this time. Mom can set the alarm on her computer at work, Dad has an alarm on his digital watch, and another child will be reminded by the chiming of the clock at home. Use any alarms or time signals you can think of. Set needed alarms now so everyone will be reminded. Then have everyone commit to pray for the needs you’ve discussed when the bells start ringing the next day.

If your time of separation is only one day, you may want to be reminded to pray several times through the day. If the time apart will be lengthy, have only one or two prayer reminders each day.

When the family is reunited, talk about how everyone felt knowing that others were praying at the same time during the day. How did you see your specific prayers answered?