Raising children to pray

 Teaching your children to pray is an important part of introducing God to them and reinforcing a relationship with God.
 I am a mother to 3 wonderful kids. They are the age that they are becoming quite assertive and to tell you the truth, it is quite scary. I love my children so much that I would not want anyone to go astray just like I know that no parent would.
 Sometimes I wonder how some parents do it....raise their kids with the fear of God. Seeing a 4 year old once pray with a passion was a heart-warming experience for me. So I started reading articles by men of God on raising Godly children and I would love to share the little I have learned. I have not gotten there but I am trying.

• I believe the first thing to do is to be a practical example to your children. Let them always see you pray and see you enjoy doing so. I remember seeing my father countless times kneeling beside his bed and praying for long periods at a stretch. What used to marvel me is that he was kneeling at a time that as a young adult we could just lie on the bed and say our prayers. This made an impression in my heart.
• No matter how old your children are, always pray with them. I know that children are products of habit. If you start on time, they will grow up with it. It may be necessary to explain to them the importance of praying, that it is a way we talk to God. They can talk to him as a Father and as a Friend....there should really be no format to it so it will be easy for them to grasp especially if they are young. They can basically talk to God about their day.
• You can as well teach them some established prayers like ''Our Lord's prayer'' or ''The grace'. Also, you can have them repeat your prayers and with time, they can pray on their own.
• Let them know that in any situation, they can just pause to talk to God- He is that reachable. One of my kids came to our room in the middle of the night to lie with my husband and I. Obviously, something woke him up and he was scared... I took him back to his room and something told me to tell him to pray if he feels scared instead of coming to our room. I had to tell him to sing ''Yes, Jesus loves me'' and he will fall asleep in no time. In every situation, God is available and willing to listen.
• Give your children examples of miracles that have happened as a result of prayers...the more personal the examples, the better.
• As they get older, let them know that fundamental parts of prayer: Adoration, Thanksgiving, Forgiveness, Request and Thanksgiving (again).

There is no better time to start than now....no matter how young they are. A good foundation secures the future and we have a responsibility towards them. Remember ''Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it''(Prov. 22:6).

-Sincerely, Cika!