Matthew 6 Shows Us How to Pray With Our Kids

Kristen Cherry is a marketing copywriter at Awana and our guest blogger this month. She shares a personal experience that many parents and leaders can relate to.

Prayer time with my daughters is an exercise in humility; I haven’t been knocking it out of the park with explaining or modeling prayer.

The Evidence:

• Repeated requests — to God — for Lucky Charms cereal.
• One closes her eyes for 10 seconds, then opens them and starts talking to me about what she wants to pray about instead of actually praying.

And instead of making it a gentle teaching moment, I get a little cranky.

• “I’m not sure dessert is really meant to be on your prayer list.”
• “Girls, you’re talking to GOD, not to me!”

I’m critical of them, but I’m upset with ME. I mean, I work at Awana! Why can’t I get this right? It’s overwhelming to get something so big so … wrong. I look to Matthew 6, and we talk it through 8-year-old style.

Matthew 6:5 8-year-old’s translation: Don’t pray just to show people how holy you are. Be real with God like you’re real with me.

Matthew 6:7 8-year-old’s translation: God loves to hear your voice; but He also wants to know what’s in your heart, not just what you had for dinner. 🙂

And we look to The Lord’s Prayer as an example, not necessarily of what to pray but of how to pray.

Start with …
Compliment God for being awesome!

Then …
Let Him know you want to follow His plan because it’s the BEST plan.

Next …
Tell Him what you’re worried or sorry or happy about, and ask Him for help.

Finally …
Just because I’m a writer, I like a conclusion.

P.S. Thanks for softening mom’s heart to Lucky Charms. Amen.

Gotta start somewhere. 😉

This month as you help the kids in your care grow in their prayer life, download the November Prayer Calendar and join us (and include your kids) in praying for Awana clubs around the world. If you want to get your calendar in your inbox each month, sign up to be an Awana Prayer Partner.