Children Need To Pray

A few generations back, the normal and formal way to begin and end a child's day was with morning and bedtime prayers. They were recited out loud, usually beginning or ending with requests for God to bless their families and friends, wishing everyone well. Today, however, in most homes, such prayers have lost favor. The busy and stressful pace of today's family life doesn't seem to lend itself to such prayer activity.

It gives a child instant communication with the God of the Universe, who always is ready to hear the concerns of His children.

It is a means of opening and expanding a child's heart and mind to the will of God and the needs of others.

It promotes a habit of generous and loving concern as a child prays for the welfare of other people.

It promotes health. If children are exposed early enough to "good" thoughts and attitudes, they may be able to avoid going through experiences that produce their opposites. By emphasizing through prayer such qualities as confidence, optimism, and generosity (i.e. faith, hope, and love), their souls will expand beyond self-centeredness and open up to a reliable source of strength - God Himself.

It starts the day with the right focus, and provides a good transition to sleep, carrying a child from excitement to calm.

It builds warm rapport between parents and children. It's a time when all family fighting stops, all pandemonium is interrupted, all problems suspended, and all tensions relaxed.

Decide that it is important - to you, your child, and God. Show your child that it is a privilege - not a duty - to talk with God.

Encourage your children to express their thoughts in their own words. Help them to include praise, thanks, apologies, concerns, and requests for others as part of their prayer.

A preschooler will not be as fluent in expressing his or her deepest thoughts as a sixth-grader, nor will their thoughts be as complex. But all are important. Don't stop praying with a child when they hit age 8 or 9. Let them hear your prayers as well.

Make sure your child takes time to listen. Listening is as important a part of any conversation as talking is. We need silence in which to think, reflect, wait, and listen.

Explain to your children that God is their True Friend who made them and loves them, and that they can talk to Him whenever they like. He puts good thoughts in their heads and fills them with loving hearts.

Encourage your child to pray in such a way that if the prayers are not answered they will not feel disillusioned. A child may pray for good weather when planning a picnic and be crushed when it rains. But a local farmer may be praying for rain on that same day, rain he needs for his crops. God is looking out for all people.

It will help you get to know your child. You will have a daily reading on what is on your child's mind and heart.

It helps to clarify thinking, strengthen good resolutions, and increase the ability to love.

It points to blessings. It is a way to acknowledge privileges and joy with intense appreciation, and a way to examine personal goals and values thoughtfully and creatively, always seeking to do it God's way.

It establishes a predictable and reliable ritual in their life. It gives comfort in a world that can be disruptive and scary.

It helps you and your child focus on joy. Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.