"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." James 5:16-18 (ESV)
"If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you." John 15:7 (ESV)
Expect change. Resist doubt. Think Big. Do so as a family.
1. Expect Change. Expectation has such a great impact on us, whether for negative or positive. As families, we have each learned discouragement, shame and bondage whether from Satan, the world or the flesh. Do we believe change is possible in Jesus Christ? We must ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see "the hope to which we have been called" (Ephesians 1:18, ESV). When we begin to expect change, and allow faith to arise in our hearts, we can see ourselves and our families as God sees us, not just as we have been taught to see ourselves.
2. Resist Doubt. Similar to expecting change, resisting doubt is a must in praying for and with our families. Practically speaking, we must find out what God says about our circumstances. How do we hear God when doubt is so loud? Worship, prayer and the word of God are great ways to ground ourselves in the truth, so as to combat doubt. "Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (Mark 6:31, NIV) Find a place as individuals, as a couple and as a family to hear what God says about your world. For me, memorizing and meditating on scripture in conversation with my family and in song are wonderful ways to rise above the doubt that is otherwise prevalent even at home.
3. Think Big. Filled with God's Spirit, Elijah believed God for the literal changing of the tides. He asked God and God held back and later gave forth the rain! Is there any more relevant promise to us today? "With God, all things are possible!" (Matthew 19:26, ESV) Our world and our communities and homes are filled with the tides of lack, doubt and insecurity. If we do not start to think big and ask big in our prayer lives as individuals, homes and churches, we will surely be swept away! Apart from God's intervention, we are stuck in the small. Let's think big! Let's see Jesus turn the tides as we pray!