Building Young Prayer Warriors
How can we be intentional with prayer in our daily walk with the Lord and in how we raise our children?
Written by Abby Zarkovacki
I don’t know about you, but I often find some of the most important lessons the Lord teaches me are through the actions and words of children. Can I tell you about one of the latest lessons?
Over this past year in Awana, we sought to encourage and invest in our clubbers’ prayer walks. To do this, we created a space during each Handbook Time, or small group time, to sit as a group and share prayer requests to write in the group’s prayer journal. Then, take the space to pray over those prayer requests together. Simple enough, right? Maybe you do something similar in your own relationship with God or as a family.
Well, one group took it a step further. As the year came to an end, on one of the last nights of club, the leaders sat with their group and read through all the documented prayer requests from the past club year together. As they read through, the group counted the number of prayer requests God had answered in a tangible and positive way. Fifty-six times did they count prayers answered… 56! As the clubbers counted, they were all amazed to see how God listens to us and is faithful.
As I read this story shared by one of our Awana leaders, I sat there thinking, “How often do I pause to look back at that prayer journal or prayer request list to see God’s faithfulness?” I mean, yes I know God is faithful. Yes, I know the Bible tells me He hears me… But have I ever truly looked back in faith to see God’s work? Have you?
If you’re anything like me, the answer is likely a mix between sometimes, I don’t remember and probably not. I so quickly come to God with my doubts, worries, fears and pleads, but why do I not also come to God with gratitude and recognition for His faithfulness, for WHO He is in MY life?
While I’m not a parent yet, as I think about these young prayer warriors we are building up in Awana and in Woodmen Kids, I feel challenged to reflect first on my personal prayer life, but also to think about how one day I can foster that warrior-like prayer in my own child. If you find yourself resonating with this, I want to challenge you today to think about these questions…
Challenge for YOU:
1. How can I be intentional in documenting my prayer requests to God?
IDEA: Start your own prayer journal or create a notes page for quick prayer requests throughout the day.
2. How can I create a rhythm of reflection and recognition of God’s faithfulness in my prayer life?
IDEA: Add 30 minutes on your calendar on the last Saturday of every month to sit by yourself with your prayer journal, notes app, or whatever it is, and thank God for what He has done in your life this month.
Challenge for YOUR FAMILY:
1. How can you create space to share prayer requests and praises as a family every week?
IDEA: Pick a night of the week (like every Thursday) to share highs/lows of the week as well as prayer requests or praises and write them in your family journal. Try putting an empty mason jar on the kitchen table with a bowl of blank papers for your kids to come up and write prayer requests on their own time.
2. How can your family create a rhythm of reflection and recognition of God’s faithfulness together?
IDEA: Choose one Saturday of the month to have a special family meal together. As you eat together, read back through your family’s prayer requests from the month and talk about God has been at work in your lives.
Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.”
Let’s not only be learners from our littlest of ones when it comes to prayer, but let’s create habits of prayer so that our littlest of ones learn from us too.
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