Teaching Your Kids the ABC’s of Prayer
This post was written by Katie J. Trent, homeschool mom of two and author of Dishing up Devotions: 36 Faith-Building Activities for Homeschooling Families. We are so grateful for her wisdom and we know you will just love her!
Teaching our kids the basics of prayer is even easier than teaching them their ABC’s.
The apostle Peter demonstrates the ABC’s of prayer in Matthew 14:28-29 (NLT): “Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.”
When the disciples thought they saw a ghost walking on the water, Jesus encouraged them not to be afraid. It was only Him! Peter responded with the first key we want to teach our kids about prayer:
A – Ask
Peter asked Jesus to invite him to walk on the water. He knew he couldn’t do it on his own strength, and he wanted to be sure it really was Jesus out there. So Peter had the courage to ask for the impossible.
In Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV), Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
We want to teach our kids to go to their Heavenly Father with needs, fears, hopes, dreams, and desires. They need to know they can go boldly to God, and that He desires to give good things to His children.
B – Believe
The second key to teaching our kids about prayer is the importance of believing.
Peter believed Jesus could answer his prayer. Until that moment, he’d never seen anyone walk on water. Yet here Jesus was, doing it! Peter trusted that if Jesus commanded him to come, he would be able to do it too.
When we ask Jesus for something, we need to believe He can and will answer our prayer. But what does it mean to believe?
I explained to my kids the difference between hoping and believing like this: When you ask me for ice cream right before dinner, you hope I will say yes, but you don’t really believe I will. When we pray to God, we need to ask with the belief that He will answer us, not just hoping He might. To believe is to feel sure of the truth of something.
“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you” –Mark 11:24 NASB.
We want to teach our kids to believe God for the impossible, and to keep praying and believing until the impossible becomes possible.
“Then Jesus told them, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.” – Matthew 21:21 NLT
C – Complete
Our faith requires more than just asking and believing. As we teach our kids to pray, we also want to encourage them to put their faith into action with the third key: completion.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? – James 2:14-16 NLT
First, Peter asked Jesus to call him to walk on water. Next, he believed he could do it. Then, he completed the prayer by stepping out of the boat. Imagine if Peter had asked Jesus to call him onto the water, but never took the first step out of the boat.
Often, prayer requires us to step out in faith in some way.
When we teach our kids to pray, we want to teach them to ask God for wisdom for what they can do in that situation (James 1:5). For example, if we are praying for a friend or loved one to be saved, we can be kind, love them well, invite them to church with us, etc. We teach our kids to listen to and obey God so they can learn to hear and respond to His voice as they seek Him in prayer.
by Katie J. Trent
Katie is a popular author, speaker, and homeschool mama of two. She’s also a Pinterest drop-out with a messy house and happy kids—most of the time. Katie’s mission is to inspire women to grow their faith, strengthen their families, and simplify their homeschool journeys. In writing and speaking, Katie draws on a wealth of knowledge and experience from over a decade of counseling, ministry, and church planting. Her new book Dishing Up Devotions: 36 Faith-Building Activities for Homeschooling Families is now available.