Teach Your Kids to Seek God in Prayer

Mornings and motherhood are not always the best mix. The morning rush is enough to frustrate even the most organized amongst us. And if your children are anything like mine, it can be a whirlwind of arguments over the slightest of things.

I’ve come to realize that I’m creating more problems with my anxiety and my kids are witnessing and learning it themselves. It was time for a change. The solution: incorporating more scripture, prayer and meditation on God into our lives.

As a young girl, I would watch my mom pray every morning. It resonated with me. So when I had children, it occurred to me that I was not showing my children that they too should be in prayer constantly.

Seeking God first in the mornings will help us all for many reasons. One reason is that it teaches my children that they can go to God on their own. When my children are at school or not able to come to me with their troubles, I want them to understand that they can personally go to God with anything. I want them to go to Him with grateful hearts, with their prayers and with their questions. Children need to establish their own faith in God, so that when push comes to shove, they know they can rely on Him.

Every morning, as a family, we now start our day with prayer. We sit silently in prayer and tell Jesus our anxieties and hopes. My kids also are memorizing and meditating on scripture. Here are some of the Bible verses that my children are studying:

This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24, New Living Translation

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:15, NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28, NLT

Find a spot in your home, as we have done, and make it a quiet place where you and your kids can pray. It might help to write out the verses on a white board, or a chalkboard like us.

The change I’ve seen in my family as a result is incredible. Recently, I saw them kneel and pray when they got really upset. It brings tears to my eyes to see them first seek God when they get angry or sad.

The love of God is such a beautiful gift to all of us. When we show our children that they can have a personal relationship with God, they will begin to rely on the Lord.

Knowing that my children are watched over and protected by God has always put my mind at peace. It’s calming to know that when I cannot be there with them during a test at school or scared, God is there. Showing them that they can call on Jesus at any time will give them the same peace of mind.

Prayer is the most effective form of stress relief that I know. It builds our faith. It gives us the assurance that we can have a personal relationship with God and that we are never alone if we know our Savior.

Imagine the effect of teaching our children how faithful and loving God is with action rather than just telling them. We should show them that even at a young age God has great plans for them and that each day matters to Him.

My son suffers with a short attention span, like I do. The focus he’s learning from sitting and meditating on God’s word is making a huge difference in his life, just as it has done in my mine. My youngest daughter can get anxious, but now she’s more at peace. My eldest daughter now counts her blessings more than she complains about her troubles.

It’s changing each of them in ways I once only prayed for myself. Having them openly share their lives with God is creating a peace our household that we’ve never known before.

Have His peace in your home by teaching your kids to pray regularly.