Prayer is such a wonderful privilege–we have direct, 24/7 access to the God who created us and loves us.
But prayer isn’t just for grown-ups. Jesus wants little children to come to him (Matthew 19:14) and to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Prayer is a powerful way to harness kids’ love of words. Between the ages of 2 and 5, a child’s vocabulary explodes from about 50 words to thousands. And who better to talk to than God?
Yet even Jesus’ disciples needed help learning how to pray (Luke 11:1).
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them – Matthew 19:13 (NIV)
To some contemporary Christians, a child-led prayer meeting might seem like a scene to think about but, whether or not, we are privileged to see a movement of God’s Spirit in the form of children’s prayer meetings, we still have an obligation to encourage our children to pray publicly.
This should be done more so when we are at a family altar, when children are together with their peers—in Sunday school or Christian school classrooms, at youth events, or during summer camp—we adults can be too quick to jump in with our prayers when we ought to be encouraging children to voice their own.
Age Level Insights
Children’s perceptions of communicating with God change as they grow:
Ages 2 to 3: Young children understand that Jesus is their friend. Say (or sing!) simple prayers that relate to children’s lives.
Ages 4 to 6: Children this age become very aware of the world around them. Let kids know that God cares about everything that happens to them and other people.
Ages 7 to 9: These children feel a need for God’s help and can verbally express thoughts. Help them look up Bible verses about prayer.
Ages 10 to 12: Preteens realize God is more personal. Let them understand that no prayers are insignificant to their heavenly Father.
In “Let the Children Pray”, written by by Esther Ilnisky , she teaches us how your children can be released to pray with purpose and power.
“Your children can be equipped and released to join the growing army of young warriors who are helping to change both generations and nations. God’s response to the children’s prayers (remarkable testimonies included) confirm a new generation of mighty prayer warriors in our homes and churches – a virtually untapped resource for such a time as this!”
Scripture tells us that the prayers of children are precious to God. Jesus himself defended the praises of little voices with the words of Psalm 8:
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that [Jesus] did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Matt. 21:15-16).
Not only does Jesus hear what little children say in prayer, he affirms that their prayers are vital.
Children, of course, are not more innocent or more loved by God than grown-ups. Each of us—child and adult—approaches the Father only in the blood of the Son (the “one mediator between God and men” 1 Tim. 2:5). God is not swayed by our age or our maturity or any other human characteristic.
But God is pleased with the prayers of children because the prayers of children proclaim his greatness. He is the God who takes lisping, slightly nonsensical, theologically wobbly and entirely sincere prayers and uses them to accomplish his eternal purposes. He is the God who shuts the mouth of the Evil One with the praises of infants (Ps. 8:2). And he is the God who can—and does!—amplify his own glory through the small sound of little children praying.
You Need the Prayers of Children
What’s more, adults are blessed when children lead in prayer. In that Scottish schoolroom, the adults pressed their ears to the doors and wiped tears from their eyes as they heard the sincere faith of their little ones breathed out in prayer. Parents, teachers and ministers were led by little hands to the very throne of God.
For children, regularly hearing the prayers of other children and offering such prayers themselves would make praying together the normal expression of a relationship to God and to one another. Like language immersion students, young ones would grow up surrounded by public prayer—as used to praying aloud with their friends as they are to talking.
So, go on, let the kids have a turn to pray. And perhaps—just perhaps!—we will again see days of revival in which all of God’s people, both old and young, pray together.
[divider]
Written by Samuel Balagadde, with contributions from Megan – She is a pastor’s wife and writer living in Massachusetts. Her new book is Praying Together: The Priority and Privilege of Prayer in Our Homes, Communities, and Churches.
