House Prayers

Prayer can sound dull and even boring or like something reserved for the quiet morning hours… that never seem to come. But oh, sweet believer, that’s the devil’s subtle whisper in our ears because he knows our prayers hold real power. 

Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Prayer is not just something we do when we can’t do anything else.

PRAYER IS THE FRONT LINE, THE FIRST DEFENSE — NOT A LAST RESORT.

In the shuffle of laundry and another meal to clean up after, it’s so easy to forget that there is a spiritual battle happening all around us. As we pray with our hearts while serving with our hands, it has the power to transform seemingly mundane things, like sweeping floors, bouncing a baby or folding laundry, into earth-shattering kingdom work.

I remember when I first truly embraced this idea. Vana was a newborn, Tyler’s dad had just received a terminal diagnosis and I felt helpless. I wanted our home to be a place full of peace and comfort, especially for Tyler to find relief in an undeniably heavy season. 

So I started walking through our home with a fussy baby and prayed. It became a physical thing which I think helps us mere mortals latch on to prayer better because we can fix our eyes on something to stay focused. As I walked, I began to feel repetitive praying the same few things, but God soon expanded my prayers. 

I’d run my eyes across our kitchen and started praying for patience during afternoon meltdowns, wisdom and discipline to make healthy choices and joy cooking for my family. When I walked in the dining room I’d pray for the conversations that happened there and the people God wanted us to invite to share a meal here. 

The power of prayer, even for the prayer girl, can still be lost on me sometimes and this season was a huge wakeup call to the power I had access to even when I felt like I physically couldn’t do much to help the situation. 

My Prayer Life Came Alive in a New Way

I first shared this concept and worksheet, House Prayers, two years ago and besides our prayer journals and online course, it is easily the thing that has made the biggest impact on people’s prayer lives.

“Your house prayers were a game changer for me. Literally taped them in the rooms to remind me in our current house. As we are renovating our new house, we’re trying to do the same as we work on each room.” – Instagram Friend –

So what is it? It’s a 3-page worksheet that you can download with different areas of your home (i.e. living room, porch, bedrooms, etc) and ideas for different things to pray for in each room. There are also blank spaces to add your own requests. An example of what I pray for in the living room: 

1. The people we will invite into our home

2. Being present around my spouse and kids

3. Sharing with siblings

4. The influences we let in (i.e. TV, books)

5. Joy and laughter to fill our home