TALKING TO GOD, YOUR VERY BEST FRIEND

Research has shown that school-aged children speak around 20,000 words a day. That is roughly equivalent to two to three hours of actual speaking time. These children can also learn 2,000 to 3,000 new words per year. Yet, with such an incredible amount of active conversation and vocabulary, many children today consider prayer to be a difficult or unfamiliar task.

Since becoming a children's pastor over seventeen years ago and a mom the past twelve of those years, I have made it my passion and purpose to teach children that prayer is simply talking to their best friend. Though home circumstances and atmospheres can shape how children view prayer, I believe more than ever that children are hungry for real community, genuine connection, and deep conversation about faith and truth. They need to be taught the power of prayer and the life-change it brings.

One of my favorite ways to teach children to pray is through the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. This format is a simple guide that children can understand easily, as it lays out the elements of prayer that are important to remember. These elements include acknowledging who God is, giving praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, surrendering to His will, sharing our needs and requests, confessing our shortcomings and mistakes, forgiving others, and seeking His protection over our lives. Christian Artist, Matt Mahr has an amazing song that is another great resource in teaching children how to pray called “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)”.  I have also used the five-finger prayer model, which can be found on the Ministry to Children’s and Sermon4Kids websites.

The more children witness us displaying the discipline of prayer, the more they will catch on to what’s being taught. Prayer should be a lifestyle, and children are imitators, so let’s give them something to imitate. Whether you’re a mom, Sunday school teacher, or nursery volunteer, what does your prayer life say to the children around you? Your prayers today are sowing seeds into their tomorrows. Let them hear you pray out loud. Encourage them to join you in praying for others, for their families, and for themselves. Show them what talking to their best friend truly looks like. Because if they learn that truth now, they’ll carry it for life!

• Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

• Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.

If kids can speak 20,000 words a day, let’s be sure some of those words are spoken to the One who created them—the One who sticks closer than a brother—God, our very best friend.

Kaci Davis is the GO KIDS Coordinator at GO Church in Sharpsburg, GA. She and her husband have been ministering to children and families for 15 years. She enjoys speaking at leadership conferences, kidmin services, events, and camps. Kaci’s greatest joy comes from her role as a mother to her three children, Layla, Titus, and Ezekiel. Loving people to Christ is at the core of who she is and she's passionate about seeing others discover their true purpose in Christ.