Chances are, if you exist on God's green Earth, you have a family. 

The formal definition of family is a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit.

But there’s no guarantee that you’ll have a good relationship with your family. 

The definition of family is somewhat misleading, considering families don’t have to be blood-related. Some of us are perfectly content with the company of our friends we consider to be family members. 

Today, we'd view a family as a social unit consisting of individuals related by blood, marriage, adoption, or close relationship. Family is a foundational institution placed by God within society. Human society cannot function without the family in one form or another.

In the Bible, the concept of the family plays a major role in both a physical and a spiritual sense. A lot of Mosaic covenant provisions emphasize the value of family. Two of the Ten Commandments even deal with the maintenance of family unity. 

Honoring parents is part of the fifth commandment, which is meant to preserve parental authority, and prohibiting adultery is part of the seventh commandment, which is meant to protect marriage.

But what does God's word have to say about family?

The Bible has a stronger sense of community than in Western cultures today. 

As a result, people in Western cultures are usually more individualistic than their Eastern counterparts and especially more so than their ancient Eastern counterparts. 

There are plenty of Bible verses that illustrate how important family and friends are to the Heavenly Father. The Bible shows that our family community should be important to us even today.

In 1 Timothy 3:5, the Bible says, “For if someone doesn't know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?”

It’s important to God that we learn how to manage our households properly. If we don’t, it’s impossible for us to maintain our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:28 says, "God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’"

Obviously, not everyone can produce children. But within the family, God has given its members different roles and responsibilities that still apply.

A great way to spend quality time with your family is through communal prayer. It creates a sense of unity within your family and brings everyone closer together. 

Whether you’re praying with your family or for your family, here’s five different prayers you can use. 

Family prayer for healing

Lord Jesus, the Great Physician, I worship You today, for You are the God who forgives all sins and heals all our diseases. Jesus, our family has been facing attacks from the enemy in the form of sickness and disease. Your word says that by Your stripes, we're healed. We come against every attack from the camp of the enemy, and we command every sickness and disease to dry up by its roots. Heal us, dear Jesus, and we shall be healed, for You are the one we praise. I pray for healing, wholeness, and restoration for every member of this family. In Your merciful name, we pray. Amen.

Family prayer for protection

Our Father God, we come before You today to ask for Your protection over our families. Let no trouble fall on them today. Keep them away from accidents. O Lord, allow no evil to influence their hearts. Cover them with the precious blood of Christ. Protect those we love, Lord God. Take charge of them so that they don't strike their foot against a stone. Let our devotions to You bring us down the right path. God's will be done, Amen.

Family prayer for strength

Heavenly Father, You're our ultimate source of strength. When we're weak, You're strong. You lift us up when we're down. You renew our strength, and we soar on wings like eagles. Thank You, God, for always raising us up with Your mighty hands. In our times of trials and troubles, God, we look to You. Life can hand us many different challenges that we know we cannot face on our own. But with You, O God, nothing is impossible. You'll always grant us the endurance to overcome any obstacle that may come our way. You're our strength when we're weak, God. And we're always grateful when You manifest Your power through our lives. All these we pray in Your Name, Amen.

Family prayer for peace

Heavenly Father, thank You for renewing our hearts and minds. Thank You for sending Your Spirit to us so that we may express Your love to our families. We're also grateful to You for giving us our loved ones. There are times in our families when we fight and bicker with each other. There are times when we let anger, strife, and bitterness rule over our hearts, and because of this, we end up hurting our families. We ask for You to forgive us, loving Father, for these sins against our own families. Change our hearts and make them truly loving. Humble us, Lord, so that we may seek forgiveness without pride. We ask You to heal the wounds in their hearts as well. Touch their hearts that they may accept our pleas for forgiveness. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Short family prayer

Dear Lord, we're very thankful to You, God, for the good times we have with our families. Thank You for allowing us to enjoy each other’s company. Thank You for giving us time to spend with them each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

While we may have our differences, nothing’s more important than family.

Being a part of a family means you are a part of something wonderful. It means you'll love and be loved for the rest of your life. So it’s important to nurture those bonds through prayer and the Heavenly Father.

For more on family prayers, download the pray.com app in the iOS App Store or Google Play.