Thursday, October 25, 2012

Passion for Prayer

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Last Thursday we talked about teaching our children to have a passion for reading the Bible.  Today I want to talk about teaching them to have a passion for prayer.  Prayer is powerful.  When we pray, God listens.  When we pray, things change.  Our children need to know how to pray.  They need to know how to go to the Father.


 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, 
and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven 
to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14

How can we teach our children to pray?  Here are a few ideas to help.
  1. Lead by example.  As parents, we are our children's first and most influential teachers.  When they see Mom and Dad praying and reading the Bible, they will pray and ready the Bible.  Let your children see you praying often.
  2. Just like talking to a friend.  When we pray all we are doing is talking to a very good Friend.  So often people think they need to use big words, long prayers or speak eloquent.  But they truth is, we don't have to.  We are only talking to our Friend.  He knows how we normally speak, He created us!  We can go to Him just as we are.
  3. We can talk to God all day long.  While we should cut out a time for God each day and solely focus on Him, we can go to Him anytime throughout the day.  He loves to talk to us!
  4. Pray for first responders.  Anytime you hear a siren, say to your child, "Let's pray that Jesus will be with the person that needs help."
  5. Pray for Mommy and Daddy.  Each day lead your child to pray that Daddy will have a good day at work.  If you are having a bad day or not feeling well, ask your child to hold your hand and pray for you.
  6. Fear not.  When your child is afraid for any reason, lead them in praying that God would comfort them and take away the fear.  You can say a prayer then have them pray.
  7. Before school prayers.  For the couple of years my children went to school, we gathered in a circle by the front door {just as my mom did with us kids} and we prayed for our day.  Now that we homeschool, we have prayer time around the dining table before we begin our school work.
  8. Bedtime prayers.  Oh dear friends, never, ever miss bedtime prayers with your children.  No matter their age, two or sixteen, pray with them.  They need that connection with God and with you before they sleep.
  9. Mealtime prayers.  Always pray before a meal, even before a snack.  We need to thank God for providing for us.
  10. Thankfulness.  We can always, at any time, go to God with requests.  But we need to daily tell God thank You for who He is and what He has done.  Our kids need to learn to thank Him for every thing in their lives.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
 to all who call on Him in truth. 
Psalm 145:18

These are just a few ways we can teach our children to pray.  What are other ways you teach your children?

Sweet Blessings~

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8 comments:

  1. Amen. Teaching our children to pray is critical. What a practical and powerful lesson.
    Thank you for sharing. So glad I found you at Thankful Thursdays.
    Peace and good.

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  2. Thank you for stopping by! Blessings!

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  3. I love to hear how real my kids' prayers are when they pray. I have learned how to praise God more in my prayers as a result of listening to my children, because their words are so fresh and real. Other people say my kids learned it from me. Prayer is so important and is so often neglected.

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  4. I pray that my children seek HIM. As my teen and tween get older I hope and pray that they continue to have a relationship with God. They are active in their youth groups and community missions. I know how difficult the later teens and early adulthood can be if we're not grounded in our faith. As a parent I just pray that my husband and I have given them a good foundation to start with and that God will continue to guide them through their lives. =)
    -Patti
    http://amomentofsimplicity.blogspot.com/

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  5. Excellent. It's been a blessing to me watching my own daughter teaching her four to pray. My 4 year old granddaughter was having tea with me and I told her we needed to pray for a prayer chain need. She prayed the sweetest prayer. There's no greater blessing as a child of God than this privilege of coming boldly to the throne of Grace.

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  6. Jennifer, even though I do not hav children, I appreciate what you shared for families. Blessings.

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    ReplyDelete

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