The church asks us to pray as a family each morning and evening, as well as during meals when we’re together. These opportunities to pray together, in addition to our private prayers, are a tool to strengthen both our families and our testimonies. As you begin to develop a habit of prayer in your new LDS home, you will quickly discover the blessings that come from this tradition.
Thomas S. Monson, first counselor to the prophet, offered this picture of family prayer:
“Will you join me as we look in on a typical Latter-day Saint family offering prayers unto the Lord? Father, mother, and each of the children kneel, bow their heads, and close their eyes. A sweet spirit of love, unity, and peace fills the home. As father hears his tiny son pray unto God that his dad will do the right things and be obedient to the Lord’s bidding, do you think that such a father would find it difficult to honor the prayer of his precious son? As a teenage daughter hears her sweet mother plead unto God that her daughter will be inspired in the selection of her companions, that she will prepare herself for a temple marriage, don’t you believe that such a daughter will seek to honor this humble, pleading petition of her mother whom she so dearly loves? When father, mother, and each of the children earnestly pray that the fine sons in the family will live worthy, that they may in due time receive a call to serve as ambassadors of the Lord in the mission fields of the Church, don’t we begin to see how such sons grow to young manhood with an overwhelming desire to serve as missionaries?” (Thomas S. Monson, “Heavenly Homes, Forever Families,” Ensign, Oct 1991, 2)
Prayer gives parents an opportunity to show their children what is important to them. The things they ask Heavenly Father for are the things that matter most, and this will stay in the children’s minds. It sets priorities in a way that is not lecturing, but practical. When parents follow up these petitions to do all they can do to help Heavenly Father bring to pass what was asked for, the children learn that the gospel is not passive—we have to get up and do things, not wait for handouts. So, if a parent asks that the family will gain a testimony of scripture reading, and then sets up a daily scripture reading schedule that takes priority over everything else in that time slot, the children learn that the parents weren’t randomly asking for something, but truly asking God to help them as they strive to bring this to pass.
Prayer can be comforting to children. When they are afraid or worried, it is reassuring to know there is someone they can turn to for help and comfort. When parents pray aloud for comfort, and then do feel comforted, their children watch and learn that God answers prayers. They will then take their own sadness and worries to Heavenly Father and expect to receive the comfort they observed as their parents prayed.
Prayer is one of the most important new routines you will establish as an LDS family, and family prayer will become one of your most powerful parenting tools.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
