How Do I Pray with My Kids?

/ NMBC/

Yesterday in One Big Story we learned about when Jesus miraculously fed 5000+ people! The faith of Jesus' disciples keeps growing and growing the more He says and does to show them who He is! Ours does too!

How Do I Pray with My Kids?

Prayer is something that is both simple and intimidating for many people. The simplest explanation of prayer is that it is communication with God. Just like we communicate with our kids or our friends or family, we can communicate with God. Just like we simply talk to people, we can simply talk to God. However, sometimes we don't know what to say - or what is ok to say.

Jesus taught a simple prayer to his disciples that's a great pattern. You can find his example of how to prayer in the Bible in Matthew 6:9-13.

Another simple pattern for prayer is called ACTS. This stands for Adoration [worshipping God, saying thanks for who he is], Confession [admitting and asking forgiveness for things we've done], Thanksgiving [saying thanks for things that God has done or given], Supplication [this is a big word that really just means asking for God's help for us or others]. 

So, how do we do all of that with our kids? Here are some suggestions:

  • Model simple prayers when you pray together before and after family devotions. Use simple words that your kids will understand. 
  • Model short prayers. You don't have to pray for an hour to make it mean more. Keep it short [and therefore less intimidating] and that way your kids can follow your lead.
  • Model what to say for your kids, or even tell them in advance what they can pray for. You can brain storm what to pray for as a family and then choose who will pray for what.
  • Model praying for others. Be careful that what you share and how you talk about others is not gossip. Genuinely pray for the needs that other people have and specifically pray for friends and family who are not Christians.
  • Keep a Family Prayer Journal. Doesn't have to be an ornamental hard covered book or something - keep it simple. Have a family binder or book where you can write down what you pray for. Perhaps next week / month / year go back and look and see what God has done!

Prayer doesn't have to be scarcely or confusing. Model for your kids and lead the way! Parents - do everything you can to get the Bible into your kids! We want to help!