Teaching Children to Pray

The first prayer most of us prayed was the blessing, “God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food,” or the classic bedtime prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” When children are very young, getting them in the habit of prayer is more important than what they’re saying. As they grow, though, their prayers should deepen, just as ours do. The goal is to get your children to move from simply parroting a phrase to realizing that they are communicating with the Creator of the Universe.

Teaching children to pray is an awesome responsibility, because we know it is the basis through which they will eventually maintain a personal relationship with God. Many parents feel awkward, though, about teaching children to pray from the heart. It is really much simpler than it seems.

Begin by children see you pray. Children want nothing more than to be like their parents. If they see that prayer is important to you, it will be important to them.

Teach children that prayer is just a conversation with God. Encourage children to pray in ways that are natural for them, instead of trying to formalize prayer or force children to conform to our adult standards.

Make prayer a part of your daily routine. We remember those prayers from our childhood because they were a part of our routine. Learning the rituals and traditions of their faith allows children to feel comfortable in worship services.

Make it real. Ritual is important, but prayer needs to grow as we grow. If we’re shy about praying in front of others, then children will learn to be ashamed of their prayers. Be brave enough to let your children see you pray from the heart.

Be flexible about prayer time. We all live extremely busy lives. Don’t let lack of time keep you from praying. A short prayer on the way to school is better than no prayer at all. If you make prayer a priority, even when there’s no time, children will learn to recognize the importance of talking to God on a regular basis.

Find the best time to make time. If mornings are particularly hectic in your family, set your regular prayer time before bed. Keeping a regular prayer time will strengthen your family bonds as children learn to strengthen their relationship with God.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16 NIV).

Beside Still Waters

In our house, my morning starts at 5:30. I have exactly 30 minutes to take my shower, get some hot tea, and take a deep breath before my children wake up. I used to wake them by singing at the base of the stairs every morning. This year they decided they wanted alarm clocks, so I usually sit on the second stair in the still dim house and wait to hear the familiar beeping that means they’ll be coming down the stairs soon to greet me. This is still one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s my first glimpse of my children, after a night of absence. I hold them close, their little bodies still warm from the comfort of their beds. I rock them slightly, and I kiss the backs of their necks before passing them along to the morning.

We could sleep an extra 45 minutes in the mornings, but we decided years ago to get up early enough to have time to spend with each other. It's our time to relax, cuddle, and talk about what the new day will bring. I ask them every year if they'd rather sleep in, but they say no. Our time together is as important to them as it is to me, but it has to be a conscious choice, a determined effort, or it will never happen. Life is too busy.

A Changing World

Sometimes we’re drawn to the world. Sometimes it looks beautiful to us and we see the hand of God in every aspect of our day. Other times the hand of sin and death is much more apparent, and we have to look a little harder to see through the haze that seems to cover our daily routine. There is a stigma among Christians that if you’re tired you must be doing something wrong. Perhaps you’re not walking on the right path. Perhaps you’re too focused on self. After all, being a Christian is all about service, right? True, but as busy as His daily ministry kept him, even Jesus knew the value of retreat and meditation. He knew the value of making a conscious and determined effort to spend time with his Father.

Finding a Retreat

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Sound familiar? It’s hard to find a place where you can spend time alone with God and not have someone come looking for you. When Christ went out to the desert alone, the Bible says “The Spirit sent him” (Mark 1:12 NIV). Why do you suppose that was? Could it be that spending time alone with God is more of a necessity than a choice? Jesus retreated from his enemies, but he also retreated from his friends. He spent time alone. He rested. He meditated. He prayed. He retreated when he was battle-weary from his time with the Pharisees. He retreated to find direction for his ministry. He retreated when he was physically tired and when he needed a spiritual boost.

Not to spend time alone with God is to miss out on the blessings he has prepared for us. It is to lose the direction and wisdom that might guide us more smoothly through our day. If we are too busy to find the time to separate and commune with God beside the still waters of prayer and meditation, we are entirely too busy.