Teaching Your Children to Pray

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

Written by Dr. Justin Imel

This week, we've explored ways to lead our children in drawing closer to God. Prayer plays a huge role in spiritual formation. Jude clearly connects spiritual growth and prayer: "You, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 20-21, ESV). If we wish our children to grow in the faith, we need to teach them to pray.

How to we teach our children to pray?

We can model proper prayer. One of Jesus' disciples came to Jesus and made a request: "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples" (Lk 11:1, ESV). Jesus then took the time to model prayer. Take the time to model prayer before your children.

As we model prayer before our children, the possibilities are endless:

• We teach them to praise God's glory (Matt 5:9).


• We teach them to pray for God's will to be carried out throughout Creation (Matt 5:10).


• We teach them to request ever so humbly the material blessings we need (Matt 5:11).


• We teach them to beseech divine forgiveness (Matt 5:12).


• We teach them to take the church bulletin and to pray for the sick by name (Js 5:16).


• We teach them to ask God's blessings on our national leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2).


• We teach them to pray that God send forth workers to share the Gospel (Matt 9:38).


• We teach them to pray for a future mate, for they will pray together one day (1 Pet 3:7).


• We teach them to pray for the bully who constantly harasses them (Matt 5:44).


• We teach them to be thankful for every blessing God gives (Phil 4:6).

These are some of the instructions God has given for prayer. Will you teach these truths to your children? In what other ways can you teach your children to pray?