Seeking God through prayer is like a conversation with your best friend. Sometimes it’s longer stints—filled with emotion and a lot of talking. Other times—simply sitting quietly to listen provides a special way of bonding closer in relationship.
The great thing about spending time with God is that He is always with us. Unlike human friends who come and go, are busy with work, or live elsewhere—God is ever-present. We can seek Him during the nighttime, or through the day while we’re commuting and busy with daily tasks.
It’s not that complicated
As we communicate with the Lord, we can do it silently or aloud. The method is not as important as the fact that we’re seeking a closer relationship with Him. In Jeremiah 33:3 we read, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God answers prayer! And when we pursue Him, He is faithful to communicate back to us.
As an adult, you may already know how to strengthen your relationship with God through prayer, but how can you teach this information to others—such as your children?
- Share it
Keep a running tab of answered prayers on your phone notes app, or in a notebook—whichever is a quick and easy reference for you. Nothing motivates me to pray more often than hearing how God answers the prayers of others! This can become a positive reinforcement for your child as well—when he hears about answered prayers you share with him.
- Demonstrate it
Keep ongoing prayer concerns for yourself and others in the forefront of conversations with your children. Share these often in daily conversations such as, “I’m praying for my co-teacher at school. She’s come down with the flu. Let’s remember to pray for her tonight at bedtime.”
- Journal it
This doesn’t have to be long! Simply encourage your child to write down any questions (and answers) she is currently seeking from the Lord during her quiet times. Just a few short sentences or bullet point reminders can prompt her to continue praying for items of concern throughout her days ahead. Also, writing down answers that the Lord reveals will encourage her to continue building on a close relationship with Him.
As with other matters of educating our family members, parents must seize the quick moments throughout the day to pray and to teach children how to seek the Lord for themselves. God delights to be in close relationship with all who know Him!