Praying for Others
Bible Verse
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (NIV) James 5:16
In Matthew 18:1-3, Jesus tells us to have faith like a child's—simple, unhindered, and pure. We can learn a lot from our children’s faith. Sometimes their big prayers amaze us, and we can be stunned by the truth and understanding that they hear, but this doesn’t surprise God! He wants us to climb onto his lap and share our hearts like a child. Or, like teenagers wrestling with the overwhelming realities of life, we can pour out our lament to God and wait on him to speak his perfect peace over us. Praying and listening to God takes practice. Practicing within our family circles creates a safe place to seek God out in prayer.
God created us to be in community. One way our families can remain connected to others—especially in such a digital age—is to practice prayer habits together. Prayer grows our children’s empathy as it allows them to lift up God's people in need. Whether it is global needs or neighbor's needs, prayer softens our hearts with Christ’s love.
Prayer doesn’t need to be complicated, scripted, or boring. Introducing our children to different ways of interacting with God will encourage them to stay engaged and connected. We can create space for our children to commune with God in multiple ways and to teach them to lift up the needs of others. Consider which of these simple, kid-friendly ways would most draw your child into prayer, and commit to guiding your family in this way for two weeks. Be sure to take time to reflect and rejoice in answered prayers!
Picture Box Prayers. Create a picture box of photos of family members and close friends. Pull out the prayer box and pray for family and friends while looking at their photo.
Prayer Walk. Take your family on a walk around the neighborhood. As you go by your neighbors' homes, schools, stores, and playgrounds, pray for salvation, protection, and connection.
Prayer Popsicle Sticks. Write prayer requests on popsicle sticks. After family meal time, have each family member pull a stick and pray for that request.
Prayer Wall. Using sticky notes, write prayer requests as a family and place the sticky notes on a wall or bulletin board. As prayers are answered, write prayers of praise as well.
Share these encouraging Bible verses about the power of prayer:
John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
We can teach our children to fix our eyes on Jesus and align our hearts with his when we live out Jeremiah 29:12; “You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” As we partner with God in prayer, let us—together with our children—see more deeply his heart for the world and those around us.
Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article The Power of Praying for One Another.
Feel free to seek out the following resources:
Prayer Works: Prayer Training and Strategy for Kids by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Amy Parker
Pray With Me: Help Your Child Engage in Authentic and Powerful Prayer by Erica Renaud
Everyday Prayers for the School Year by Tara Cole
Holly Sperling
Holly Sperling teaches grade 2 at Edmonton Christian School in Edmonton, Alberta. She loves journeying with children and their families to discover God’s redemptive love and role in His story. Holly and her husband, Burke have a blended family of five, enjoying being grandparents and are attempting to train their very active Pyrenees Poodle.
