Prayer

We must teach our children to pray. After all, if we don’t, who will? Nothing will impact our kids’ lives long-term like learning to pray effectively. I dare say that all Christian parents want their children to become prayer warriors, but many of us just aren’t sure how to go about it.

Let’s be real. Our kids pray a lot like we do, and we probably pray a lot like whoever taught us. So how should we teach our kids to pray? We look to Jesus. In Matthew 6, He showed the disciples how to pray, not what to pray. There’s a distinct difference, and it’s a big one. Through following Jesus’ example, we can improve our communication with our Heavenly Father and model it before our children.

It’s important to let our kids know that we don’t always get the answers we want when we pray. That doesn’t mean God didn’t hear us or our prayers didn’t “work.” After all, Jesus asked the Father to find another way to redeem our sins rather than Him having to die on the cross (Matthew 26). Jesus teaches us by example that we can still trust in God’s perfect will, even if the outcome isn’t what we want.

While we should never think we are asking too much of God (because He’s truly the King of the Universe), we should be careful that our prayers don’t become like a call-in request line or a streaming information source. Yes, we should ask and keep asking like the Bible says in Luke 11 and cast our cares on the Lord, but we should also take time to sit with our Father and spend time with Him. Prayer is an important spiritual discipline for every believer, and a crucial way for God to write on our kids’ hearts.

Engage in prayer for and with your kids today. Ask them what they’d like to talk to God about and join them in going to the Lord with whatever is on their heart.

Prayer

Pray Luke 2:52 over your kids today. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.”