Recently, Tony wrote a post on praying with your children at bedtime. That post got me to thinking about praying with your children in general. Whether you are involved in Children’s Ministry or are “just” a parent, it is essential to teach our children to pray for everything (Phil. 4:6). I would like to share a couple of ways we can teach our children to pray.
Children in your Ministry
- Pray before and after every lesson, event, or function
- Look for opportunities to pray with the kids on an individual basis–this becomes easy when you know your children and their home situations well
- Encourage them to keep a prayer journal
- Share how God has answered your prayer and encourage them to look for how God is answering their prayers
- Teach on the prayers found in the Bible
- Teach them to pray through Scripture (especially Psalms)
Children in your Family
- Pray before every meal and sleep time (naps, too!)
- Pray whenever you are in the car and see an ambulance or another emergency vehicle
- Select a missionary family affiliated with your church and pray for them
- Pray for your church staff
- Pray for your children’s friends
- Pray for your lost family members (i.e., grandma’s and grandpa’s and aunts and uncles)
- Pray whenever your family receives bad and good news (loss of a job or a major financial blessing)
These are just a few of the ways you can live a life of prayer before your children. Our children need to learn to communicate with God (praying through Scripture) and learn that He does hear and answer their prayers.