Lets talk prayer. ….

Use this resource as a tool to introduce prayer or to explain prayer in more detail to your children. Also use this as a tool to create prayer rhythms for both your home as a whole and for your children.

What is prayer: Prayer is talking with God. God wants us to share our life with Him, to tell Him what is going on in our lives, what makes us happy, sad or afraid. He wants to know what we want and what we desire from Him both for ourselves and others. When we pray we open ourselves up to God so that He can make good changes in us.

Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

Why do pray: We pray because it invites our loving Father to work in our lives, in the lives of others and in our world. Prayer brings us closer to God. When we pray and we tell God through prayer that we are sorry for our sins or thank Him for all that He has done or ask Him for help for ourselves or others. When we pray, God begins to change us. He changes our thoughts and our desires, He also shows us what He wants us to do. Through prayer we come to love Him more and begin to see things through His eyes or point of view.

God loves us and wants to meet our needs, to teach us how to live, to take care of us and to use us. He wants to be in a relationship with us and to be friends with us. Prayer invites Him in to do all of those things. We pray because it invites our loving Father to come and be in relationship with us and to work in our lives, in the lives of others and in the world.

How do we pray: Pray sincerely, secretly and respectfully. Pray sincerely means to pray with plain normal words that convey what you want to say (no fake language or fancy words). To pray secretly means praying alone on a regular basis, take time everyday to spend time alone with God by yourself in prayer. Praying respectfully to treat God as God. This means that we do not make light of prayer or act silly during prayer. During prayer we are talking to God, the maker of heaven and earth, the King of all kings. With this we need to show Him honor and respect.

When should we pray: All the time, in the morning, during the day and before bed. There is no bad time to pray, God's door is always open and ready to listen to us.

Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Fun prayer ideas:

Five Finger Prayer: The five finger prayer is a great way to teach your child how to pray and to bring stucture to their prayers

Prayer Jar: Take a jar and fill it with names of people in your family or community. Each night draw out a name and as a family specifically pray for that person listed on that stick/paper.