VATIC Expressions
Truth, Transparency, Transformation
Prayer: A Family’s Survival Tool
by Tina Augustus
There are so many tools that a family will need to survive. As for believers, we know that we cannot do anything without the Lord and His son, Jesus Christ! Therefore, when we pray, we should always pray to God through His Son. We ought to pray in the name of “Jesus.” We give God thanks for all He has done and for His protection. We thank Him for keeping our entire family safe from harm and danger as we continue to keep our families covered in prayer. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God. It's a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him. Prayer to God is like a child’s conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs.
There are many promises in God’s Word to encourage us to pray, such as: “He shall call upon Me and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.” (Psalm 91:15); “And it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24); “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7). The Scriptures tell us that we are to pray for one another and also assure us that God hears and answers prayer.
When you receive Christ into your heart, you become a child of God and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.
In my family, as young adult siblings, we would talk about our childhood memories of our Mom and how she would walk throughout the house praying for our family. At night, while we slept, she would go from one bedroom to the next, anointing our heads with oil that she received from a special prayer service at her church. This small bottle of oil was one of hundreds that had been prayed over and blessed, then given to those who attended this special prayer service to receive the oil for the purpose of using it while they prayed to God. Still today, my ninety-year-old mother holds a small bottle of oil in her hands during her prayer time.
Oftentimes siblings rarely agree upon anything. However, prayer was and still is one thing we all have agreed upon, especially the fact that all of us believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our families successes, our protection, and our survival are because of the prayers of our Mom, Maxine, and our Grandmother, Nancy.
My oldest brother, Jesse, Jr., asked me to write about this topic that includes the benefits that are guaranteed to us as children of God, and His promises that have been fulfilled in our lives, because of the prayers and sacrifices that our mother and grandmother have made; and especially our mom’s continual prayers for our families. He also asked me to list all of our family members starting with Mother Maxine's children, grandchildren and then great grandchildren, to present to each family member. We’re talking about four generations! I totally agree with my brother that our mother is getting older and it is definitely time for us to take on this mantle that she has carried for many years, this legacy, and to begin praying for our families.
We are not taking away her time of prayer. We are adding to it. As a family, we pray together at most gatherings, and we pray separately during our personal time with God. However, as for intentional prayer for each and every one in our family, I cannot say that everyone participated in intentional prayer every day. Imagine the effects of just one person praying for our entire family for all of these years! Then imagine three generations praying along with her and for each other. That is powerful!
Can you imagine many families partaking in this prayer time exercise? Imagine the countless numbers of breakthroughs!
© 2018 Tina Augustus