As the fall season gets underway, children are back in school, activities seem to be multiplying, work has a way of increasing, and family holiday celebrations are on the horizon.
This is a good season to take a pause each day and pray family blessings—for your immediate and extended family and for anyone you consider as family, like your church group or kids’ friends and others who seem to be part of the bigger family.
You can pray a blessing over your immediate family members and pray at a distance for extended family, unless the Lord prompts you to call or text them with a prayer. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your prayers. He knows the blessings He wants to bring and how He wants to make His presence known to each family member.
If you’d like a helpful starting place, here’s a Bible verse that is a wonderful prayer of blessing: Numbers 6:24-26:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (NIV)
You can start by praying that scripture. That in itself is a prayer. Pray it for your family—over them and/or for them.
If you want to expand it into a prayer of blessing, line by line, let the Lord lead you.
Here is just an example of what it could look like, but you will be blessed by sitting with Him and letting Him prompt you in the words of your blessing prayer. Be open to follow His leading as you pray.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
God, I pray Your blessings for my family today. Thank You for always blessing us. Thank You for keeping us close to You as Your own. Thank You that You are the biggest blessing of all. Your daily presence with us is the blessing we want most.
the Lord make his face shine on you
Lord, thank You for shining Your face on us. Thank You for the boundless love we sense from You. Thank You that You, the creator of the universe, look on us all the time with love. Help us to shine today with Your light and point others toward You.
and be gracious to you;
Lord, we thank You for Your gift of grace. Without Your grace, we are nothing. By Your grace, we are able to grow each day into who You have created us to be. Your grace is a gift we can barely understand, but we are grateful for Your grace. Help us extend Your grace to others and remind us to seek You in all things we do today.
the Lord turn his face toward you
Lord, thank You for watching out for our family today in everything we encounter. Help us feel Your presence everywhere we go today. Help us turn to You with any questions or challenges, as we remember You are right here for us, to guide us and to help us grow in Your love for our family and all those You put in our path today.
and give you peace.
Thank You, Lord, for Your shalom peace. Help us to stay in Your peace today. Help us to breathe in Your Holy Spirit whenever we get flustered. Help us to be so aware of Your peace and so filled with Your peace that those around us can’t help but feel Your presence too.
Thank You, Lord, for all the ways you bless our family. Thank You for being with us today, and help us to be aware of the constant blessing of Your presence with us. We pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen
You might also want to try the helpful practice of lectio divina (reflecting deeply on scripture) with Numbers 6:24-26. Here is an article that can help you get started with lectio divina.
In closing, here is a beautiful version of this blessing prayer in song by John Rutter—this song is one of my favorites, and Mr. Rutter, the composer, is conducting the festival choirs himself: “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.”
Adventures with God 