The building of a family prayer altar. What this means is gathering as a family at a regular time to pray.
How and when this will happen will be a matter of prayer between you and God, together with your family. To set aside intentional time for group prayer, particularly as families, but if no family then with friends and neighbours.
I don't know.
I struggle with this concept.
Let me clear though.
Not the concept of praying together as a family, but more the act of calling it an altar.
I struggle with the concept thinking of how it can so easily be twisted. We pray as a family every _____ OR ELSE.
I fail to see what is wrong with just praying together as a family over meal-times, adding in the concerns of the family, neighbourhood, land and world? Why does it need to be a time set apart? Isn't prayer time, at any time, a time set apart for God?
As I read some of the examples in the book I didn't see them as "family prayer altar" times. I simply saw them as times that people prayed. Prayer as they walked, prayer as they drove to work or school, prayer on a couch over something important. It was simply prayer, intentional prayer and spur of the moment prayer.
Just plainly, people praying together. WHY does it need to have the label of "altar" attached to it?
Prayer can be useful in so many ways....it is GOOD to attach importance to it, and have significance attached to how we pray, and to see the value in praying together.
It is good to see how prayer was used at altars in the past, as a prayer of thankfulness for God's actions, as a way to keep our fervor for the Lord alive,and as a way of fellowshipping with each other. Prayer is a sign of our faithfulness to God... and should not be discounted or trivialized. But neither...and this is my concern.. that if you place it "on an altar".. that it will be lofty for folks to attain on their own. Prayer is talking with God, receiving his pardon and forgiveness, a time to bring concerns before him and to thank him for his love shown to us in a mirade of ways.
It is good to be reminded to intentionally pray. I know that some families don't pray together (and sometimes we (my family) lack in this ourselves). This chapter is a call to be mindful of the need to pray more as a family. To intentionally do so. That is what I can take away you know....that need to intentionally pray as a family... to talk with God, thanking him, remembering his actions, knowing and seeing his power at work. Good this.
If you want to follow along, you can find copies via Amazon Affiliate links:
Amazon.ca: The Prayer-Saturated Family: How to Change the Atmosphere in Your Home through Prayer
Amazon.com: The Prayer-Saturated Family: How to Change the Atmosphere in Your Home through Prayer
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Interesting. I have always felt uncomfortable when people describe regular places or items as altars, even in denominational buildings. An altar is something God directed in the Bible. It was a place to offer sacrifices. God calls us, now, to pray without ceasing. To make our lives living sacrifices. To place something in your home that you call an alter seems as though it would be dictating the when and how and where part of prayer, contradicting God's instruction to us. Just my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat sums up my struggle as well.
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