WHEN CHILDREN PRAY THERE IS POWER

Now I lay me down to sleep.... Too often we dismiss our children with this simple prayer, putting little credibility into their prayer life. Many adults don't think of children as powerful intercessors or understand that young ones can initiate prayer. But children often possess a greater praying ability than we give them credit for.

God uses children in His plan. Throughout Scripture God has clearly honored children by using them to accomplish His plan. David was a young shepherd when he defeated Goliath and saved the Israelites from the Philistines. Mary was a young adolescent when God tapped her to bear and nurture His Son.

Children change our limited vision. Children's prayers cannot only affect the spiritual kingdom now, but they can heighten our awareness of needs in the world. They see life in its simplicity and can empathize with those who are hurting.

God loves and desires the prayers of the youth. He wants them to pray. He desires to be in a prayer-relationship with every one of His creation.

What you can do:

Change your attitude. Believe that they are capable of loving, relating to, and obeying Him with sensitivity and depth.

Start young. Teach your children to talk to God when they're toddlers. Pray with them through childhood. Take advantage of the years when childlike faith fills kids' hearts.

Model how to share thoughts with God. Use a natural, unselfconscious manner and let your children hear you in prayer.

Become partners in prayer. Ask your kids to join you in conversations with God. Help your children to believe that prayer is as natural as breathing - that we need to connect with God continually and that He's always listening.

Heighten their vision for the world. Prayer starts at home with concerns about personal needs, family concerns, and circumstances with friends and school. But as children grow in prayer on the home front, they can gradually discover how to influence the world without leaving their bedrooms.

Give them a purpose. Even at a young age children long for purpose and want to make a difference. Through prayer they can partner with God, influencing much more than family, friends, and schools. Prayer gives children a place to belong in the local and global spiritual communities.

Include children in church prayer. As you include children as prayer-ers in churches, it will increase their vision for the church, community, country, and world. Invite them on prayer walks, welcome them in prayer gatherings, and help form on-going prayer groups for children.

Help your child hear God. Share with your child that the Bible says "be still and know that I am God." Suggest that they sit for a few moments, as quiet as possible, and listen for God. Then ask, "What thoughts did you have?"

Cheri Fuller is an inspirational speaker and the author of 20 books, including When Mothers Pray. She is also a contributing editor for Today's Christian Woman and writes regularly for Focus on the Family and other publications. A former teacher and the mother of three, she lives with her husband in Oklahoma City.
From When Children Pray by Cheri Fuller, copyright (c) 1998. Used by permission of Multnomah (r) Publishers, Inc., Sisters, Ore. Contact your local bookstore to order.

© 1997 vinebranch@hotmail.com

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