“When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7–8
Several years ago, my older daughter was teaching fifth grade at a Christian school in North Carolina. Classes would begin each day with an open prayer time. Missy asked each student for requests, and then she would invite anyone to be a part of the experience—to pray out loud.
One morning, a boy began praying for his dog. “Dear God,” he began, “please bless Rascal today.” Missy held her breath. “Please help him to be obedient to my mom while I’m here at school. And please help him not to run out into the busy street in front of our house.” Fortunately, the boy didn’t give God his home address. Unfortunately, he wasn’t finished. “And Lord, please help Rascal get rid of his nasty ringworm.”
Missy silently gasped, but none of the children laughed. No one even made a sound. Of course, the children were silently praying for Rascal’s ringworm, which seemed perfectly reasonable to them.
When Missy told me this story, I remember thinking how good it is that children are so comfortable with God that they can bring their most important concerns boldly into His holy throne room.
When it comes to prayer—either on their own or with their children—many dads are stymied. “I am comfortable asking God to bless our food,” they tell me. “But beyond that, I’m kind of lost.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gave us a wonderful pattern to follow when we pray, either alone or kneeling with our kids before bedtime. Maybe you’d like to give this a try:
Praise and thank You. When you pray, always begin by thanking God for His good- ness. If your child is young when you start this, you’re going to hear your heavenly Father get thanked for a whole lot of interesting things: birds, bicycles, Grandma, a new box of Cap’n Crunch® cereal. That’s OK, let it roll. You’re helping your children remember that everything they have—including life itself—is a precious gift from God’s hand.
Please forgive me. You probably won’t have too much difficulty with this since most children have a great deal of sensitivity about their own shortcomings. But it’s still important that you help them identify specifics. “Forgive me for not sharing my toys with Jennifer” when she’s three will translate to seeking God’s grace when life gets a lot more complex and dangerous.
Requests. Like their lists of thank-yous, this might be a long one: “Bless Uncle Fred and Aunt Blanche. Bless my trucks (or my dolls). Bless my mom and my dad (Amen to that). Please help us have a sunny day for the picnic tomorrow.” Again, it’s OK. Let this happen. Your child is learning that the sovereign Lord of the universe is a God of blessing—of good and perfect gifts.
And finally, close the prayer with one more statement of gratitude.
There you have it—a bird’s-eye view of the Lord’s Prayer. Take the opportunity to teach this. If it means having your child repeat phrases after you, that’s fine. In no time, you and your child will get the hang of it.
Think of it. You are ushering your family into the presence of a holy God. You’re teaching them how to speak to Him, knowing He’s eager to listen. This is good.