Teaching Our Children to Pray

Over the years of having children I have been often blown away by their childlike faith.
We have taught our children to pray from and early age. And I have never grown tired of hearing them pray.

Yesterday, the tractor we were seeding with, broke down. We were eating lunch when we heard Mark tell Josh on the 2 way radio that he was driving along and the tractor just stopped.

This year has been a real struggle getting the seed into the ground. We have had lots and lots of rain with few sunny days in between. The ground is saturated making it very hard to seed.

But yesterday we were seeing the end. If everything went well we knew we could get done. This was HUGE because they were calling for a bunch of rain again today (and it's raining as I type :) So the push was on!

When I heard Mark tell Josh about the tractor my immediate reaction was to pray...silently. But then I looked around at all of our children sitting there and decided to ask them to agree with me in prayer. I explained the situation to them, told them Daddy didn't know what was wrong with the tractor and that we needed to pray that he would have the wisdom and strength to deal with this situation. That the tractor would get fixed quickly. But most of all we needed to pray that God's will would be done. We knew He had a purpose for this.We went around the circle and each child prayed. Most of them prayed a simple prayer like, "Lord please help the tractor to start again so we can get seeding done."

Meanwhile in the field, Mark had called the mechanic, who said he would be there in 20 minutes. A little while later we heard Mark tell Josh that the tractor was running again!!!! We were excited and praising God for answered prayer!

A little while later I had to go out to the field to bring Mark seed and he told me what the problem had been. He said that guy looked at the wiring and was trying to figure out why there was no power coming. And then as he was looking through the wiring diagrams "it came to him" what the problem was.  And he happened to have the part we needed in the truck. So within a few minutes the tractor was fixed and Mark was seeding again!

Now I believe that God helped the mechanic "remember" and I don't believe it was coincidental that he had the right part in the truck. I believe God used this situation to teach our kids (and me :) the importance of prayer in our every day life.

When I came back home I found the kids and one by one (some two by two) told them how God had answered our prayers.

Our kid's faith was strengthened yesterday. They were assured that God does hear and answer prayer. They know that God doesn't always answer our prayers right away....sometimes He asks us to wait patiently. But yesterday He chose to answer right away.

At supper we all thanked God for His mercy and for answered prayer.

We need to teach our children to pray. We need to teach them that God is interested in every area of our life. That He is always there to hear us. And when He answers prayer we need to teach them how important it is to thank God for answered prayer. We also need to teach Him that God doesn't always answer prayer in the timing or way that we might want or expect. But He does always answer prayer.

Because we live in a society where we can usually fix things on our own it's too easy to turn to man instead of God. Years ago, God worked on my heart. He taught me that my first response should be prayer when I had a need. If one of the kids were sick, instead of reaching for the tylenol bottle, or taking them to the Dr. I was to first pray for them. If we had a need, that my first response would be to pray instead of go out and try to buy it.

In the last little while I have gotten lazy. Too many times I have turned to man's way of fixing things instead of God's. But Sunday, in church, I got a "refresher course" as God once again was calling me back to Him, to His way of doing things! He is my Healer, He is my Provider, He is my God!!!

I want to encourage you today, if you have an ailment, problem or a need, take it to the Lord. Seek Him first. And if you have children, ask them to pray with you. A child's faith is so real and refreshing.

Let's teach our children to pray.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3-4

But Jesus called them [unto him], and said,

Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:

for of such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:16

For where two or three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20