Christian parents often pray with their children, but are we teaching them to pray on their own? Do you have hope for our upcoming generations to be leaders of the Church? Not only do we need well-equipped leaders to lead, plant, and grow churches now, but we also need them in the future. As adults, we participate in, serve, and lead our newly formed denomination, hoping to thrive not just for today, but for generations to come. Let’s equip our children to be the faith leaders the world and the Church need!
Kids sometimes get a bad rap because they have short attention spans and are easily distracted, can be moody, and don’t have the skills to be ‘adults’ yet. Perhaps that describes some adults as well; I’m not sure. However, what I do know is that our children need to be disciples of Jesus, just like adults. Our children need to learn how to read and study the Bible so that it ‘sticks.’ They need to know how to pray. They need experience serving and to learn how much we need Jesus in our lives. So, let’s teach them! Let’s teach them the same things the adults are learning – because believe me, they can understand it, but we should gear it toward their level of maturity. Let us teach them to pray now so they will learn that God is real and develop a personal relationship with Him, who loves them, listens to their prayers, and answers them. Kids will also know that God forgives when they make a mistake.
As some of the Conference delegates may recall, our Conference Prayer team provided a Prayer Map from “EveryHome” at the Annual Conference last June. This map lists all the countries around the world where people may experience the Good News of Jesus Christ, despite the many barriers that may exist in their countries. Guess what? EveryHome (everyhome.org) has a prayer map for kids! One way we utilize it at Grand View Methodist in Dubuque is by using it during our Sunday School opening each week. We pray for the countries on the map for that day, so that other kids around the world might also be able to get to know Jesus. Not all kids are as fortunate as ours to have a nice place and the freedom to attend church and worship God. We also ensure that we practice various ways to pray during our faith formation times, hoping they will feel comfortable approaching God in prayer throughout their lives. If you need more information, please check out EveryHome (everyhome.org).
I agree with Janet Denison’s writing, “Prayer is one of the best ways to introduce your toddler to God. A prayer-filled life will teach children to grow from a toddler relationship to a strong walk with God as their King. Our kids deserve the chance to become all that God has called them to be, and prayer is key to providing them that opportunity.” Praying that we all see prayer as a necessity for our daily walk with Christ, and that we don’t forget to teach it to others, of all ages!
