How can we equip
kids to pray? Remind our kids they can pray at anytime for anything big
or small. No matter if a child is dealing with his parents' divorce or
is sad because he has to wait his turn to play on the swing, kids face
battles both big and small. As parents and those who serve kids in the
church, you can equip kids to fight those battles wisely through prayer.
Teaching kids the spiritual discipline of prayer can feel daunting, and
many parents do not feel capable of teaching their kids somethings that
they also find to be a struggle.
#1 Model Daily prayer.
When
our children see us pray this is a great example for them. They will
see it is important to us and will be important to them
#2 Pray for God to do big things:
Our
God is a great big God and he can do all things. He can heal the
sickest of sick and help the most helpless. Praise God for His power and
rely on Him to work.
#3 Pray for God to do small things, too.
Being
afraid of the dark or not being able to find a favorite toy might seem
big to some kids, but we know in the grand scheme of things, it's s
small thing. Make sure to pray for the small things. Never tell a kid
their prayer request isn't worth praying for. All things are worth
taking to the Lord, and the bible says that He cares for all our
concerns.
#4 Talk about what it means to pray without ceasing.
This
is a verse we like to throw around sometime without a lot of
explanation, but for kid's concrete mind, this sounds like never opening
our eyes and having a really bad crick in our necks from bowing our
heads for so long. Help kids understand that God wants us to talk to
Him like we would a good friend throughout the day.
#5 Start Now!
Don't
feel defeated if you haven't been praying with your children each day.
Each day is new and there's no better day to start than today! Don't
worrk about teaching your children perfectly. Ask God to help you and
your children better understand prayer. He is faithful!
---By Mary Wiley (Kids Ministry 101)
