21 Days Praying for Family

Day 1 – Genesis 12:1-3

12  The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ^[1]

Today begins another time of fasting and prayer. You are invited to join with many others and me as we seek God’s face for families, our families, the church family, families in the community, and families of the world. Over our time with the Lord we will read and reflect on various passages of scripture that relate to or reference families in some way. As we begin I have been drawn to the call of Abram (eventually know as Abraham) and what it must have taken to relocate his family without knowing exactly where he was going. Abram uprooted his family on a promise he had received from the Lord. His family included more than just his wife Sarai. He had servants and slaves, herds and flocks, and even his nephew Lot and his family in tow. This then was no small move, no small undertaking, but rather a massive relocation to parts unknown as the result of a promise from a God he presumably had not previously known.

If you are like me, managing a small group of people is difficult enough, let alone a large crowd of people. Abram managed it, though not without incident, and those of us who name the name of Jesus are proof that the promise made has indeed come to pass. He was able to do it through his personal obedience. We know about the Ishmael debacle, but that incident aside Abram obeyed God. It strikes me that despite the struggles endemic among families, obedience of the head, whether that is the father or the mother, or the grandmother, an aunt or uncle, is the key to receiving the promises of God. It is then our level of obedience that is determinative of where our families will ultimately land. It sounds simplistic, but over the next 20 days we will discover the joyous complexity and results of walking in obedience for our families. As we begin today, may we ever be like Abram.

Lord, you see my family just as you see all families. You see the example I set. I am not always the best for those who watch me to emulate. Forgive me for the times I have been rebellious and stubborn and have refused to walk in obedience to Your will for my life and that of my family. Make my faith like that of Abram who relocated an entire community just to obey You even though he did not yet know You. Amen.