Raising Prayerful Kids - A 5-Day PlanНамуна

Change Your Language

There is an image in my mind of my family sitting politely with plates full of vegetables and hands folded, waiting to pray before we eat. There is another image of my kids curled up in their quiet, cozy beds as we whisper prayers to Jesus at night. I kiss them goodnight, close the door, and they drift off to sleep. These images rarely take form in my actual life.

Dinnertime is chaotic, bedtime is stressful, and aren’t those the times you’re supposed to pray? As a busy parent, it can be hard to find time to pray with kids. There is pressure to make a schedule and do all the things. But friend, it isn’t supposed to be that way.

Faith is not supposed to be a separate part of our life. We are not Jesus' followers at church and at Bible study, and regular people the rest of the time. We are Jesus' followers, living out our faith, consciously or not, all the time. The same goes for prayer! Prayer does not have to be a separate part of our day and there are a lot of things we can do to make prayer part of our daily life. We just have to be intentional about it and change our language a bit.

Think about the things you are already doing with your kids: going on walks, doing art projects, and saying goodbye before school in the morning. How can you change your language to incorporate God into those moments?

My kids’ favorite colors are blue, pink, and orange. Amazingly, those are the colors of the sunrise. Every morning as the sun peers up over the trees in our yard, someone enthusiastically exclaims, “Look! God painted the sky just for us!” See, instead of just commenting on how beautiful the sunrise is, direct your compliment to God…the artist of creation!

Here is the deal, it might feel weird or forced, but your kids probably won’t feel that. What they will see and hear is you incorporating God into everyday life and that is important stuff! The more you talk about God in your family and include him in your everyday moments, the more natural it will feel to pray to God; the two go hand-in-hand. Notice him at work all around you, compliment him when you see his beauty in nature, clap for him when you eat a delicious piece of fruit, and have a little worship dance party before dinner. It’s all prayer!

Prayer:

Dear God,

I want to see you. Open my eyes to your beauty and to the way you are working in my life. Help me to slow down long enough to not miss the small stuff. Help me to savor, linger, and praise you. Teach my kids to do the same. We want to talk about you and with you all day long.

Amen.

Questions:

1. What are some ways you can make prayer a part of your everyday life with your kids?
2. How can you acknowledge God today? Maybe you’ll decide to go on a nature prayer walk, maybe you can clap for God’s beautiful sky He made today, or maybe you can thank God out loud in front of your kids. Model praise for them so they can practice stopping and noticing what God has done all around them.
3. What has God been showing you through what you’ve been reading in the Bible? Share it with your kids!