Hearts of Prayer
Imparting a passion to pray in the younger generation is important for their and the nation's future.
My husband and I felt helpless watching our little girls struggle. Our oldest daughter suffered from chronic asthma and endured a season of panic attacks that demanded frequent visits to the emergency room. Our middle girl fought tremendous fear then wrestled with dyslexia that made schoolwork overwhelming. Our youngest daughter developed an illness known as cyclical vomiting, and to this day she has nighttime sickness that often requires intravenous fluids to stabilize her.
Fortunately, by inviting God to be a part of these personal issues and turning to Him in our times of need, our daughters have developed a passion for prayer. Their faith has grown to trust God for the bigger issues around them as well — issues in their community and world.
Next gen pray-ers
Raising my children in a postmodern society proves daunting at times. Today, absolutes are not recognized, authority is questioned and the majority of youth consider themselves spiritual "seekers." Yet our children will one day be the next generation of faith in America.
Their exercise of prayer may appear different than that of their parents, but their commitment to faith and God's authority is just as genuine. Coffee-shop worship, purity rallies and See You at the Pole gatherings may not look like the structured prayer meetings we remember, but these activities are our children's powerful new expression of kneeling before God.
The important thing is that our children see prayer as a privilege as well as a responsibility. It's not about praying because we have to; it's about praying because we get to! It's not about praying to see what we can get; it's about praying to see how God touches others. It's not just about teaching my girls that prayer changes things; it's about God changing our hearts so we can influence the world. We must be diligent about demonstrating prayer during our children's formative years.
Making it real
Personal prayer may be as simple as giving thanks before each meal or as disciplined as meeting God each morning. Family prayer may include everything from structured evening devotions to praying together whenever we see an accident. Public prayer may start with small-group meetings where children are welcome and grow to church gatherings or national prayer walks.
A few other ways we encourage our children to pray:
The 10/40 Window Prayer Calendar helped us focus on needs in the least evangelized countries in the world.
The National Day of Prayer events remind us of our responsibility to pray for our nation and its leaders.
See You at the Pole activities challenge my girls to pray for their schools and teachers and provide an opportunity for them to make a public statement of faith.
Clergy Appreciation Month encourages us to pray for our spiritual leaders and youth workers.
Elections should be a call to prayer for all of us. We pray for our government and leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2), asking God to grant them wisdom, protection, strength and truth.
Operation Christmas Child was a great project when our girls were young. We sent children's gifts in shoeboxes for international distribution and prayed for the young recipients.
Whether you get involved in organized activities or you create your own prayer adventures as a family, teach kids what a great privilege we have to be called pray-ers. What could be more rewarding than to watch our children mature in their relationship with God through prayer in whatever style or forum they choose? As youth learn the power of prayer, it will make a difference in their personal lives, their families and their nation.