At an early age, it is important that kids get to know about God. This way, they will grow up knowing that there is a Supreme being who made them and they will be more mindful of their actions because they know that God is watching them. Aside from that, they will also be aware that God will take care of them and that he listens to their prayers.
Yes, the only way to talk to God is through prayers. It is best that our kids will learn the value of prayer while they are still young. In our family, we are trained to pray since childhood. We pray together before meals and before going to sleep.
But sometimes, we have to do it alone especially when eating in public areas or when we need to ask God for something personal. When we pray, we recognize the fact that we depend on God to help us with our lives. Also, we are cultivating our relationship with God by talking to Him through prayers. It is similar to constantly communicating with friends in order to establish a good relationship.
There are different kinds of prayers- prayer of thanksgiving, supplication, petition, and prayer of praise. Prayer of thanksgiving refers to how we express our gratitude for the food we eat, for the protection and guidance as well as the blessings we receive. One would pray with supplication when he is asking for something from God like to provide food and overcome life’s trials. When one prays for petition, he is requesting something important like passing an exam or help a family member heal from a certain sickness. The prayer of praise will allow us to express our faith in God.
Whatever kind of prayer you do, what is important is that you say it from the heart. You do not have to utter the same prayers over and over again. Say what you want to say because God listens.
Bella prays on her own and I am touched by how she really express herself through prayers. If she is in pain, she will pray, “Please make my feet okay” or if she want something, she would ask for it on her prayers, even if it is a toy.
One time, I reprimanded her and she was crying. When she asked for forgiveness, I hugged her and said it was okay. On her prayer, she said, “Thank you that Mommy and I are already friends.” That tugged heart strings!
She even prays for her Daddy who is dealing with some problems saying, “Please let Daddy be okay.” But there are also funny things she would say like “Thank you for letting me play my game” or “I hope I can watch YouTube on my iPad tomorrow” and even “I hope we will download Minecraft, Red Ball and fun apps.” LOL! Well, we can’t blame my four-year old because that is what she is thinking of.
The good thing is, she knows she can express herself through prayers.
Yes, we can say ANYTHING we want to say to God. Anyway, He can see what we are doing and He can look into our hearts. He knows what our hearts desires are but we need to pray for that.
Also, we can pray ANYTIME we want and ANYWHERE we are. God will listen to our prayers whatever is the situation. If we are asking for something and we can’t get it now, do not feel bad because God Jehovah knows the right time and when you pray, always remember that it is God’s will that is important because it will always be for our goodness sake.
If you are not the type of person who talks to God in prayer, you can read this helpful article, Should You Pray?
How about you? Do you teach your kids to pray? At what age did you start teaching them to pray?
that is so nice of you to teach your daughter on how to pray, I have started to teach my son too, which I am hoping he will be able to continue praying even without me asking him to.