I’ve been trying out some different ways of praying – both for myself and with my kids. For myself, I’ve added in some disciplines like fasting, kneeling, silence, written prayer, and reading Scripture out loud. It seems like a long, holy list, but it’s not really. With my kids, though, we’ve been trying silence, drawing prayer, writing prayer, journaling, receiving blessings, giving blessings, kneeling, bowing, standing, creating praise banners, writing God Valentines, laying decorated crowns at the foot of the cross, and many others.
All of this came from a short 1hr session I sat through at Savannah Christian Church, now called Compassion Christian Church. The children’s ministers started off by saying, “Try this before you knock it. It sounds crazy, but it works.” They then proceeded to explain how kids could engage in deep, thoughtful prayer in a way I had never considered. Suddenly, I wondered how much I was shortchanging my own kids. So, I tried it out. And, turns out, those children’s ministers aren’t crazy. I watched as elementary aged kids from Kindergarten-4th grade sat in silence and meditated on a short Scripture verse. I experienced the pin-drop quiet of a group of 10 4th-6th graders led themselves through 5 prayer stations based on Gideon’s and Mary’s experience of being approached by God with a mission. Kids get it. Kids want to engage with God on a deeper level than we often give them credit for.
So why bring up prayer? Because we take it for granted. Consider what it would be like to have a direct cell phone line to the President of the United States, or the President of the European Union. What kind of responsibility would you feel holding that kind of powerful connection? We have a direct line to the maker of the universe and sometimes we treat it like washing dishes – a chore that needs to get done.
There is wonder in prayer and worship. There is awe in sitting in the silence and letting the beauty and magnificence of the great and mighty God wash over us as we realize our own smallness in comparison to His love, wisdom, and power. What joy there is in contemplating our own forgiveness and belovedness in our Father’s eyes, that He would go through so much effort to seek after us. Imagine for a moment being in the place of the blind beggar, crying out to Jesus and receiving exactly what you need, and discovering something even greater! Put yourself in the shoes of Mary who, beholding Jesus in his resurrected beauty, cannot help but stand in helpless, awestruck joy upon their first meeting!
In prayer we find ourselves in these places and more! We find ourselves faced with a task bigger than we can imagine like Moses facing a burning bush. We discover something worth dragging others to, like Philip and Nathaniel.
We are a people held in an overwhelming tide of love and mercy which can only be reciprocated in tiny, small gestures. But the God on high receives these gestures with the smile of a parent placing a preschooler’s artwork on their fridge. We wan’t buy love like that, or earn it. No. This kind of love is eternal, giving, sharing, inviting, freely given.
This is what prayer does. Kids want to give themselves to the God they see in Jesus. They want a deeper connection. And, as Jesus often pointed out, a child-like faith is something we should all strive for. I watch children give their all to Jesus each Sunday morning. And, you can see them give their all by giving them a chance to experience something out of the ordinary.
One resource that might help with this – and I give this with some hesitation as I have not finished the book yet – is Imaginative Prayer. It contains a year-long prayer journey that uses your child’s imagination to engage with Scripture and its teachings. This resource is probably best for children 3rd-6th grade.
How does prayer look in your home? How are you engaging your children to experience Jesus in deeper, richer ways?
Redeeming Culture for Kids 