I hope you’re praying with your children today. You probably have them home from school on this President’s Day. Make it a day of full glory for Him. Make it a day to encourage and bless someone from your home or automobile. Make it a morning that includes prayer with your children.
Making our prayers relevant to current situations is one of the key differences between rote praying and meaningful praying. Thus, it’s critical that our kids are taught to pray about what’s happening now–on this day. This makes their faith that he is hearing us increase It makes them know that their parents believe in the power of prayer in THIS moment. Most of all, it makes them know that YOU know the power of prayer.
Once, on my way to the emergency clinic with five-year-old Hannah in tow, my hand was bleeding from a knife injury, I was attempting to switch gears manually with the wrong hand, while keeping a cloth bound around my right hand. I was crying with pain and trepidation and blood was making a mess in my car. From the backseat, that little voice said “Mama, don’t you think we ought to pray?” I immediately pulled that car over and we went to the throne together. Relevance is so very important to children.
Pray (with your children) for patients when EMT vehicles pass you with blaring sirens. Pray for the policemen’s safety when you see them in precarious situations in traffic or arrests. Pray for those being arrested. Pray for the children you see disrespecting their parents in the grocery store. Pray before you go to invite someone to services. Pray before a tournament and after it’s over. Pray when you get in the car for a road trip. Shoot, at first, for remembering to engage in two or three prayers daily with your kids about relevant things. Bow heads together on the bleachers when someone is hurt on the court or the field. Pray in the car on the way home from worship for those who were on the sick list or who were not there due to unfaithfulness. Pray when the tornado watch is announced or when your phone signals an Amber alert. Pray short but fervent prayers in extreme moments of relevance. Your prayer time will not accumulate into very many minutes in all of these situations combined throughout your days, but your prayer time will be more valuable in their lives than you can start to imagine!
Today is President’s Day. Spend a minute in prayer with your children today for our President. Google “famous words of Presidents about faith” and read one applicable quote to your children. Talk about our current president and how important it is for Him to look to the Bible’s wisdom as he makes decisions. Pray for Him. If your children are a bit older, you may pray for the current Ukrainian crisis, as decisions are being made from the Oval Office.
Your kids are watching for relevance. In their minds, relevance reveals rationale for prayer. Are you praying merely because it’s commanded or are you praying because it avails? Your children know and their faith in prayer is depending on you!