Teaching your children about God and about the Bible lays the foundation for their faith. It is the most important part of training them for life, and the best legacy you could leave them (Proverbs 22:6). It helps them to know who God is and what He is like.
Yet, knowing about God is not the same as knowing God personally. A personal relationship with our Creator can only be nurtured through regular contact with Him. As children read about God in their Bibles, it is prayer that brings Him into the present and makes Him relevant in their lives.
It is through prayer that faith grows in their hearts.
However, prayer doesn’t come naturally. In order for young children to know how to pray, and what to pray, they need to hear the prayers of their parents (or grandparents). Over time, they learn from what they hear and gradually form their own concept of prayer. In addition, the importance of prayer is carried over from one generation to the next. Whatever is important to the parent becomes important to the child. This is the way God honours His promise to bless the children of the righteous for generations to come (Deuteronomy 7:9).
Prayer that honours God has more to do with our attitude than the words we use (Luke 8:9-14). Humility, submission, and faith show our dependency on God and our belief in Him. Because children find it easy to believe the unseen, and understand what it means to be dependant, they can easily be encouraged to talk to God in their own childlike way.
How to pray with a child
Teaching young children repetitive prayers is a good way to begin. It provides structure and reinforces basic truths. But for prayer to become truly meaningful, it needs to progress to conversational prayer that flows from the heart.
At this stage, your child may pray; “Dear God, please bless mommy, and daddy, and granny... and please may we get another dog, amen.” From these steppingstones of faith, you can add other aspects of prayer that focus on God and others. Here are some examples:
Worship: You could say…
“Let’s tell God that we love Him.”
“Let’s think about how powerful God is, and praise Him for that.”
Thanksgiving: You could say…
”Let’s think of some ordinary things, like food and water and clothes, and thank God for that.”
“Let’s thank the Lord for our health and for keeping us safe.”
Prayer for others: You could say…
”Let’s pray for your teacher and for your friend.”
“Let’s pray for our pastor and for missionaries.”
Prayer for yourself: You could say:
“Let’s ask the Lord to help us be kind and gentle.”
“Let’s pray about that project you have for school.”
A flipbook to help your child to pray
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If you have never prayed with your child, it may feel somewhat daunting and a bit awkward at first. You could always start by thanking God for a meal, or for His help and protection at the end of the day. Perhaps, as a parent, you may feel hypocritical when you’ve had a bad day and said something unkind. However, instead of letting your imperfection prevent you from praying with your child, use prayer as an opportunity to show how we can ask God for forgiveness and seek His help to mend relationships.
Pray with your child when there’s a crisis; pray when you’re thankful; pray when you see a desperate need; pray when you need guidance. Let regular prayer also become part of your child’s daily routine, so that they will learn the importance of faithfulness in prayer (see Daniel 6:10).