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?

Ten Topics for Family Devotions

The Family that Prays Together Stays Together

Written by Cory Collins

“How can a young man keep his way pure?
          By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
          let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
          that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:9-11, ESV).

Young people have an increasingly difficult time keeping their way pure in this crooked and perverse generation. Yet, the Psalmist provides the answer to pure hearts – a knowledge of Scripture. As we have mentioned this week, you as a parent have a huge role to play in your children’s spiritual formation.

As a godly parent, you undoubtedly desire to see your children grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Here are ten ideas for family devotions.

• Each family member’s favorite Bible character: His/her choices and consequences
• Heroes of the Faith (Heb 11)
• Fruit of the Spirit
• Explain to your children why you became a Christian
• What are some ways that you want to grow to become more like Jesus?
• Proverbs: God’s wisdom for daily living
• A sermon from last Sunday
• A helpful bulletin article
• Why the church is vital
• How would Jesus handle current events?

These are ten suggestions you should feel free to use. But, the possibilities are endless! The important thing is the teaching of Scripture. What topic will you share with your family this week?

Tips for Starting a Family Devotional

Nearer My God To Thee!

Written by Cory Collins

Yesterday, we introduced the need to train children in righteousness. While the Scriptures are abundantly clear, you may be pondering how you begin such a process. Today, we wish to provide tips that will help you begin drawing your family closer to God.

• Start with the decision to start! Fathers, take the initiative (Eph 6:4). But, if there is no godly man in the family, mothers need to remember Timothy, Lois and Eunice (2 Tim 1). Decide today that you will guide your family in righteousness.


• Start small. Even if you begin once a week or even once a month, start! Doing a little is far better than doing nothing. And, the fact that you have done something is significant.


• Prepare your family early. Let the idea soak in, especially with older children. You may find that you kids are much more agreeable than you expect.


• Set a time and a day. A good time is right after dinner while the family is still together and before evening activities begin.

Decide to draw nearer to God today! Take the time to lead your family in proper paths. Your rewards will be reaped in eternity.

Tomorrow we’ll provide suggestions for choosing a text or topic to help you start.

One A Day Vitamins

Family Devotionals

Written by Cory Collins

We are all acutely aware of the need for proper nutrition. We wish our children to maintain a healthy diet, and we often purchase vitamins of their choosing to encourage a balanced diet. As we age, proper nutrition becomes no less important, and several companies produce vitamins aimed at the aging population.

As important as physical health is, what if there were a daily vitamin that would strengthen your marriage? What if a properly balanced diet were able to help keep your children active in the church? What if some pill could increase your motivation or your assurance of salvation? What if your diet were able to help you accept and deal with illness, aging and loss?

There is such a vitamin – the family devotional. “The family that prays together, stays together.” “A family altar can alter a family.” Those statements are far more than clichés; they’re truth. Studies have repeatedly shown that the children of parents who actively and personally express their own faith are many times more likely to become happy, faithful and strong Christians.

Throughout this week, we’re going to be offering solidly biblical counsel on beginning a family devotional. But, before we begin to offer tips and strategies, we want to lay the biblical foundation. The prayer is that as we see the biblical rationale our spirits will be motivated to follow the biblical teaching.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut 6:4-7, ESV).

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom” (Lk 2:41-42, ESV).

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4).

Scripture clearly teaches the importance of training children in righteousness. We wish to move in the direction God desires we move. Come with us this week and let’s together move closer to our Creator.