Praying for people is part of loving people well. If we believe that God hears and answers prayers for his people, it becomes natural to pray for those we love. Although most of us are aware that sometimes we fail to pray because we lack faith, perhaps few of us consider that we sometimes fail to pray because we lack love. This month's invitation to prayer—as an extension of other months—is an invitation to love others. Particularly, we want to learn to love our families by praying for them and with them.

We are often busy doing things that we intend to be for the good of our families. Whether we are working long hours or making time at the end of a busy day to spend with children or planning a long-delayed visit, we want to love our families well. Yet, in the midst of all this effort, we often neglect to pray for these dear ones. It is not too late to start! Prayer is one of the most simple tasks in the Christian faith: We can simply start doing it, anywhere, any time. In particular, we can pay attention to the specific needs of those closest to us (spiritual, physical, and emotional needs) and begin praying about these things. Furthermore, we can pray according to our deep desires for these loved ones to experience good things—most importantly, that they will flourish in God's kingdom, in the genuine knowledge of Christ, by the power of the Spirit. ​

As we are praying for our families, we should also consider praying with them. For parents with young children, this practice allows space for children to learn how to pray. In addition, both parents and children receive the blessing of working together in prayer for good things and of rejoicing when we witness the hand of God at work. The same is true for spouses or others who share a home. It is difficult to imagine what harm can come from families praying together and easy to imagine all the good.

So, the invitation is to simply begin. It only requires intentionality: Decide you will do it. Specify the time (it need not be too long). Then show up, pray, and see what the all-powerful, all-loving God will do..