We need prayer. We cry out to our God because are completely helpless and hopeless without him. But our children need prayer too. So don’t (only) make prayer a private habit, make a daily routine for your whole family.
Your family will enjoy a lot of blessings as you pray together. Here are three of them:
1. It will teach your kids to pray.
In a fallen world, prayer is hard. Our kids won’t know how to pray unless we teach them.
Jesus’ disciples asked the Lord, “teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1), because they saw the depth of his prayer life and wanted to know how they could pray like that. Let’s put our prayer life on display for our children, so that they can learn from our example.
Unfortunately, our children will probably hear a lot of bad examples of prayer in their lives. We need to show them that prayer is more than asking for things from God, it is passionate communion with our glorious God.
Our children need prayer, so let’s model it for them.
2. It will open their eyes to God’s purposes.
As you pray for your family, your church, and the nations, your kids will start to see that God is at work in our world and we have a part to play.
- Invite your kids to pray for missionaries, and they’ll be playing an absolutely crucial role in the spread of the gospel to all nations.
- Encourage your kids to pray for your pastors, and they’ll be working towards the long-term health of your church.
- Help your kids to pray for non-Christians they know, and they’ll begin to see the world as desperately in need of a Savior.
3. Show them that prayer really is powerful.
Prayer is totally different from good intentions or positive thoughts. Make bold requests while praying with your kids, and celebrate when God answers.
If your kids hear you merely talk about prayer, they might think that it’s an okay habit. But if your kids hear you desperately and urgently call upon God to act, they’ll know that prayer is a necessity.
Want more? Family devotionals from God Centered Family feature three Bible-based prayer points every day. I’m confident that reading Scripture and praying with your kids every day will deepen your prayer life, teach your kids to pray boldly, and unite your family with a deeper love. See a preview and get started here.