Hannah walked slowly into her evening Bible study group, teary-eyed. Her dad had turned himself in that afternoon to begin serving a one-year prison sentence. No one noticed her coming in; they were already busy amongst themselves.
No one, that is, except Faith, a newcomer to the group who had been invited just that morning. Faith walked up to Hannah with a smile and concerned inquiry. The tears rolled as Hannah shared her heartache and fears with her new friend. Faith had no idea what to say to help Hannah, so she did what she knew to do: she hugged her, grabbed her hand, and prayed. Faith prayed the one thing she knew for sure—her loving God had a plan for Hannah, her family, and her dad—a plan to help them and not to harm them.
By now, Faith and Hannah had several people’s attention. As the two of them stood in the room—holding hands, heads down, praying together—group leaders, now also teary-eyed, stood nearby and listened in, amazed at what they were seeing and hearing.
You see, Faith and Hannah were only five years old.
Laying Groundwork for Children
This special moment was recounted by my daughter Faith’s church club leader. I was so grateful my youngest daughter had stepped up in a difficult situation with compassion and prayer.
While teaching our children to say “please” and “thank you” will certainly lay the groundwork for their life in society, teaching them to pray will lay the bedrock for their life as Kingdom citizens. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have received guidance directly from Him regarding our children’s unique position in His Kingdom and how we are to nurture their relationship with Him (Matt. 19:14).
Hindering our children’s approach to Jesus by failing to bring them up in the understanding and confidence of prayer creates a stumbling block they will have to overcome as adults. It robs the family of the power that is uniquely given to the bold and simple prayers of these earnest stewards to whom Jesus proclaims, “the Kingdom of heaven belongs.”
Faith’s natural response to pray with Hannah at age five was simply the result of a young life grown in prayer. Regardless of our children’s age, we can follow seven easy steps to begin growing our children in prayer.
- Model prayer as a matter of daily life.
- Pray aloud, allowing children to hear and learn.
- Share excitement of answered prayers during dinner or other family time.
- Incorporate prayer into daily activities and special occasions.
- Discuss prayers in the Bible during family conversations.
- Pray with children, especially during challenging times.
- Pray brief blessings over children before they start their day.
May we look upon our children and see the unhindered prayer warriors God has placed before us.
CATHY ENDEBROCK is the author of My Voice, HIS Heart: Experiencing Prayer in God’s Will. She also hosts LoveTalk Network Radio and Podcast.
