In this era, it is so rare for families in some circles to even say grace together at a meal that many young adults see absolutely no value in it. There is an old saying that "The family that prays together, stays together." Maybe this could be one of the reasons the divorce rate is so high.
So what's the big deal about praying together? First of all, praying acknowledges that there is Someone out there who is stronger and wiser than we are and Who actually cares about us and wants to be involved with our lives. That Someone is our Creator and Savior and the kind of Father you always wished your earthly dad was. Secondly, praying to our Father in the name of our Savior, Jesus, helps us to humble our pride. This begins to spill over on our family relationships as well which results in calmer and more loving, giving actions toward each other which leads to a stronger family tie.
A lot of people who actually do pray don't like to do it out loud. That is because of the third reason praying together is so beneficial to a family. Praying together out loud opens our hearts at a much deeper level to each other. This happens even if you take hands around the table and quote a memorized prayer like, "God is great, God is good and we thank Him for our food, by His hands we now are fed, Thank you, Lord, for daily bread." Children love this kind of thing when it is a regular occurrence and holding hands keeps little ones from grabbing items on the table as heads are bowed. It also gives a warm feeling of unity.
But you can go a step farther and pray as though you are talking to your most beloved and generous Father. Because we as a family know and trust God as our Father because of the loving and great sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, which we have accepted personally, we talk to God the Father in the name of Jesus like He's our best and warmest friend and taught our children and grandchildren to do the same. You can't imagine the joy and sometimes giggles brought on by hearing a three-year-old pray at the dinner table from their own trust that God loves to talk with them. Or imagine the comfort of hearing your teen or twenty-something say, "Mom pray with me." when life hands them troubles.
Life has a habit of bringing us troubles because of wrong choices made by people who were born with a selfish sin nature. Many times we blame God for that and pull away from Him but He is the only One who can bring true comfort and ideas of great wisdom on how to handle those problems. And it is so much more comforting and easier to let go of the hurts when you pray to Him with someone else who loves and trusts Him and also loves you.
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